By Robert Firth, local democracy reporter
A Lewisham fender is locked in a dispute with a company owned by a millionaire Labor Party donor on trees that protrude its rear garden.
Cathy Erskine states that he has bones asking AA Homes to eliminate several trees in the back of the land on the property since November 2024, when he states that a branch of one of them collided with his garden and destroyed a storm of a shed.
Despite the repeated attempts of Mrs. Erksine to obtain the company, owned by Anwar Ansari, which previously donated £ 20,000 to the mayor of London Sadiq Khan, to eliminate the trees, Shehims Lear.
The fearful branches could fall from the trees at any time, the 61 -year -old woman says that she has reluctant to the children she takes care of when using her gardening until the trees that stand out are removed.
She said: “Children in our care cannot use the garden, it is dangerous. We are talking about large trees. We don’t know when trees will fall. We have had prettier, but we can’t let children play in the garden.
“When it’s a hot day, it’s the best place to be. We wonder how long it will happen before some do something about trees.”
Mrs. Erskine admits that AA Homes quickly removed a branch that landed in her garden in November last year after she committed. AA Homes said he eliminated the branch in four days and paid Mrs. Erksine £ 100 in compensation for damages to the shed.
The Croydon -based property developer, Ansari, the Homes AA, acquired the 400 -year forest behind the property of Mrs. Erskine in 2004. The company surveyed the forest in 2017, that the sustained local activists prepared to present plans. But the application was never submitted.
In 2018, after a community campaign, Lewisham’s council appointed Gorne Wood in Brockley, an asset of community value, which means that AA Homes would have to give the first DIBS to the community groups if he sold the land.
The Fourth Foundation of the Reserve, a charity organization that campaigns to protect wildlife in the area, said there had been ‘continuous problems’ with the management of Gorne Wood, including several fire attempts.
A spokesman said: “This is another example of why the forest needs to be properly handled by people who care about protecting nature.”
AA Homes said he had to get permission from the Lewisham Council before cutting the trees because they are in old and protected forests. The firm blamed the bureaucracy of the Council for delays of eliminating problematic trees.
A spokesman said: “On April 14 we finally arrived at an agreement with the local authority as in terms of the allowance of work and we are waiting for the tree surgeon to return soon as next week, although a date is still pending.”
In the photo: AA Homes said he paid Mrs. Erskine £ 100 in compensation for the damage caused by the branch (Image: Cathy Erskine)
