Robbie Williams has been granted permission to cut down a tree at his Grade II listed London mansion despite an objection from a neighbour. The former Take That star applied to The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea to cut down the dead Norway Maple, which is infected with ‘Honey Fungus’ that cannot be treated.
Planning documents explain how the tree is damaged with an ‘increasingly sparse’ canopy and at ground level the bark can be pulled back revealing a ‘white mycelium fungus’. Putney Tree Surgeons state the tree ‘has reached the end of its safe useful life expectancy and should be removed and replaced’.
The plan received an objection from one unnamed neighbour who said: “The application has essentially zero detail around it. No report is attached from a qualified arborist to explain what potential disease this tree has and what options are open to the owner about preservation and remedial action rather than felling.”
A picture of the damage on the Norway Maple
(Image: Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea planning portal)
Despite this, permission was granted, with the stipulation that a tulip tree or an alternative agreed-upon species ‘shall be planted as a replacement’.
Williams is currently the focus of the biopic Better Man, which focuses on the 50-year-old’s hardships throughout his career, including battles with addiction. The film depicts him as a monkey, which Williams and director Michael Gracey say was inspired by his description of himself as a ‘performing monkey’.