I moved into my new home three weeks ago and have just had a large sycamore tree felled in the back garden as it was making the conservatory very dark. My neighbour has told me that the tree was the subject of a Preservation Order which was news to me. Do I have to tell the Local Authority?
You have placed yourself in a very difficult situation. If you only purchased your property three weeks ago then the fact that you had trees in your garden which were the subject of a Preservation Order should have been made clear to you by your solicitors. The result of your Local Authority search would reveal that the property was subject to a Tree Preservation Order and this would lead your solicitor to identify which tree or trees were involved.
The TPO prevents you from lopping or felling trees the subject of the Order without specific consent from the Local Authority. Felling the tree in its entirety could lead to prosecution and you are strongly advised to contact the Local Authority to advise them of your mistake.