Sir Paul McCartney could face opposition from his neighbour after seeking approval to fell two protected trees at his London home.
The Beatles star, 83, has lodged an application with his local council to topple two Sycamore trees in the garden of his £10m townhouse in St John’s Wood.
His representatives argue the Sycamores ‘are in decline’ and cutting them down would allow ‘for more space for the adjacent Hornbeam to grow into’.
The request is currently under consideration by the council, however his neighbour Reinhold Meinen, a conservative activist and investor, has already voiced concerns over the proposal.
‘As we spoke on the telephone, I am suspicious if those trees are fatally ill. I doubt this. Please note my objection and keep me up to date. Thank you for the good work you do,’ Mr Meinen wrote.
Sir Paul bought the three-storey home, which is just around the corner from Abbey Road Studios, in 1965 for £40,000. He moved in the following year after installing a large gate and intercom.
Trees that are in a conservation area such as St John’s Wood or are subject to council orders require planning permission to have work undertaken on them.
The strict planning laws have provided quite the headache for Sir Paul over the years, having previously applied for permission to prune his trees as far back as 2002.
Sir Paul McCartney (pictured in December last year) could face opposition from his neighbour after seeking approval to fell two protected trees at his London home
Abbey Road Studios, which is just around the corner from Sir Paul’s house which he purchased in 1965 for £40,000
The star was previously locked in a row with council bosses over cutting back a thin crown of a Birch tree, a Hornbeam and two Sycamores in 2019.
Sir Paul’s representatives lodged the plans after realising that his back garden was too dark and not getting enough light.
But planning chiefs told him that he was not giving the council enough detail about what he intended to do with the trees and they withdrew it.
A later revised application which was approved asked to chop an additional four trees down which included an evergreen Magnolia, a Chinese privet, a yew and a Holm oak.
And just last year, the singer was granted permission to prune a protected oak tree – because not enough light was getting into his neighbours’ garden.
The tree at the centre of the application was a Holm oak which straddles the boundary between Sir Paul’s St John’s Wood property and his neighbour.
His representatives asked for the oak to undergo tree crown lifting. The process is used to reduce weight from a tree and allow more light to pass through the branches.
Planning documents submitted to his local council state: ‘Crown raise by 1.5m on the boundary to admit more light to [neighbouring property].’
Sir Paul McCartney pictured with fellow Beatle John Lennon in 1965 – the same year he purchased his central London townhouse
The Beatles at Abbey Road Studios for the ‘Our World’ live television broadcast in 1967. The band were said to use McCartney’s nearby home for meetings before or after recordings
Sir Paul bought the property in 1965, paying £40,000 to its previous owner, physician Desmond O’Neill.
According to previous reports, shortly after McCartney moved into the property, Beatles fans kept a vigil outside it 24 hours a day and on occasion found their way inside.
A short walk from Abbey Road Studios, it often served as a base for The Beatles for meetings before or after recordings.
Sir Paul’s representatives have been approached for comment.
