Toby Carvery and council end row over felled oak

A year-long legal dispute over the felling of an ancient oak in north London has ended after Toby Carvery's owners apologised and agreed to fund 1,000 new trees.

The 500-year-old tree was cut down in Enfield on the orders of pub chain Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) in April 2025 "to protect our employees and guests as well as the wider general public".

But reports by the Forestry Commission and Enfield Council found the oak was healthy and posed no risk, with potentially hundreds of years to live.

In a joint statement, M&B and the council said "the parties now consider this matter closed" after the company agreed to contribute to the cost of treating the tree and donated to a large woodland scheme.

The felling of the oak in a park next to Toby Carvery's Whitewebbs branch caused uproar nationally on social media last year - coming not long after the Sycamore Gap case - with some demanding a boycott of the roast dinner chain.

Then-Enfield Council leader Ergin Erbil called it an "outrage", and upset residents gathered in protest at the tree's stump.

It was a nationally significant pedunculate oak listed on the Woodland Trust's ancient tree inventory with a girth of 6m (20ft).

The Woodland Trust said at the time it had never "seen tree felling as shocking as this", while a tree valuer estimated it was worth £1m.

Enfield Council sought to evict Toby Carvery over what it described as serious breaches of its lease, claiming the tree was felled without the council's knowledge or consent.

The authority previously called on the firm to apologise, pay reparations for "irreversible damage" and cover the council's costs.

In the joint statement, M&B and the council said: "We recognise that the felling of a well-loved veteran tree within the grounds of the Toby Carvery, Whitewebbs has upset many local people, and we fully understand the strength of feeling this has caused.

"M&B again, sincerely apologises for the upset this has caused."

The statement added that Enfield Council recognised M&B had "acted on the recommendation of reputable, professional advisers in taking the steps that it did" to mitigate "any health and safety risk" to guests, staff and the public.

They said communication and engagement on matters affecting the local environment was important.

The statement added that M&B had agreed to contribute to the costs of treating the tree and donate to the council's Enfield Chase Landscape Restoration scheme, which it described as London's largest woodland and nature restoration initiative.

This would "enable the restoration of an historic lost orchard along the Ridgeway corridor" and "enable the planting and maintenance of a thousand new trees surrounding and connecting the orchard habitat", the statement said.

After the tree was felled, local campaigners said it was "worth 1,000 Sycamore Gaps" since that tree, which was chopped down from its iconic location at Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland, was relatively young at 120 years old.

Enfield Council said it had reported a case of criminal damage to the Met Police at the time of the felling, however it is understood the force has deemed it a civil matter.

Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk