Tim Burton applies to chop down and prune two trees at his London mansion

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Tim Burton has applied to chop back two trees at his £11million Edwardian mansion less than two years after he won an acrimonious planning row to fell 15 others.

The Edward Scissorhands director, 64, of Hampstead, London, is looking to chop down a weeping ash in his front garden and trim back an oak in his backyard.

It comes just two years after he won a heated planning battle with infuriated neighbours when he applied to tamper with 15 trees on his property. 

Mr Burton submitted two separate applications to Camden London Borough Council via Panda Trees to have the trees felled and pruned this year.

Tim Burton applies to chop down and prune two trees at his London mansion

Tim Burton has applied to fell a weeping ash and prune an English oak tree at his £11million home in Hampstead, north London 

Edward Scissorhands director Tim Burton, 64, got permission to cut down 15 trees on his property after months of an acrimonious dispute with local environmental groups in 2021

Edward Scissorhands director Tim Burton, 64, got permission to cut down 15 trees on his property after months of an acrimonious dispute with local environmental groups in 2021  

He hopes to chop down a weeping ash in his front garden due to honey fungus in its stem, a disease know to attack and kill the roots of woody and perennial plants. 

Photos supporting the application show honey-coloured mushrooms at the base of the tree, as well as apparent growth within one of the tree’s knots.

James Crawford, of Panda Trees, described the work as: ‘Sectional dismantle due to hazardous infection (honey fungus) found halfway up the main stem, with fruiting bodies around base of the main stem.’

Mr Burton also hopes to cut back an English Oak in order to reduce the weight of the tree due to its trunk being unstable. 

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Mr Crawford said this would be a ‘slight reduction’ of the tree due to the weight of its main trunk.

Infuriated conservationists objected to the removal of a silver birch and viburnum tree at Mr Burton's home in March 2021

Infuriated conservationists objected to the removal of a silver birch and viburnum tree at Mr Burton’s home in March 2021 

However, Mr Burton’s gardening work infuriated Hampstead conservationists when he applied to have 15 trees cut back in 2021.

The Hampstead Conservation Area Advisory Committee lobbied the council to refuse Mr Burton’s request – but were unsuccessful when he was given the green light with the authority saying it had ‘no objection to works to trees’ in May 2021. 

This infuriated conservationists objected to the removal of a silver birch and viburnum which both had tree preservation orders against them – law enacted by the local planning authority to protect trees or woodlands in the ‘interests of amenity’. 

What are tree preservation orders? 

Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs) exist to protect trees which bring a ‘specific amenity benefit’ to a local area.

They can be made to protect any type of tree by the local planning authority, and they make it an offence to cut down, damage, top, lop or willfully destroy the tree in question.

TPOs do not automatically cover any one species of tree, nor do they cover bushes, hedges or shrubs.

Owners of protected trees are still responsible for the tree, but the local authority’s permission is usually needed if any work is to be done to the tree.

Landowners must plant replacements for trees which are cut down without official permission.

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In recent years there have been spates of people damaging or cutting down protected trees to enhance their views.

Burton claimed the silver birch and viburnum had died and was given the green light by Camden Council two months after the first application.

Burton bought the five-bedroom house, complete with a ballroom and roof garden, from actor Tom Conti for £11 million in 2018 after he split from Harry Potter star Helena Bonham Carter.

Mr Conti, who played Kostas Dimitriades in Shirley Valentine, bought the property in 1985 with wife Kara Wilson when it was made up of flats and transformed it into one of London’s finest homes.

While living in the house, Mr Conti, now 81, was embroiled in furious planning rows with his neighbours, including Arsenal legend Thierry Henry.

In 2012 he objected to the former France captain’s plans to demolish a neighbouring property and replace it with a modern design including a 40-foot fish tank.

It is thought Burton bought the house because of its links to Lewis Carroll, with the director working on the films Alice In Wonderland and Alice Through The Looking Glass, which were based on the Victorian author’s books.

It was designed in 1903 by mathematician William Garnett, with its asymmetrical design supposedly inspired by Carrol’s nonsense poem Jabberwocky.

The 6,649 square-foot property has a double-height ballroom capable of hosting 75 people – and it even has a minstrels’ gallery.

It also boasts several dressing rooms, a study and a room dedicated to ‘games and dancing’.

Tim Burton directed Edward Scissorhands starring Johnny Depp who played the lonely character with scissors for hands. In one scene he uses the scissors to trim a bush (pictured)

Tim Burton directed Edward Scissorhands starring Johnny Depp who played the lonely character with scissors for hands. In one scene he uses the scissors to trim a bush (pictured)

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