TEIGNBRIDGE Council has stepped in to protect a pair of oak trees in Woodway Road, Teignmouth, after an application was made to demolish the property on the plot on which they stand and build three houses in its place. The plan was refused last December but action was taken to protect the trees, pending any future applications. On Wednesday, the regulatory and appeals committee placed tree preservation orders on the two Holm oaks, which stand 40ft high and are judged to be 60-80 years old. Owners Mr and Mrs D Bennett objected, saying that the trees, which stand on a mound of soil, could become unstable, cause damage to drains walls and fences and that they cut out light. The council's senior arboriculturist, Doug Pratt, told the committee that the trees were healthy and he could see no sign of leaning. He recommended that they were pruned to restore their shape.
