An independent engineering assessment concluded that the removal of a 170-year-old oak beside the A1 at Greeba Towers was the ‘only appropriate course of action’, according to the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture.
The closure caused significant disruption for motorists travelling through Foxdale and Archallagan on Monday.
The department said its regulatory function placed ‘the protection of life and public safety above all other considerations’ and disputed the suggestion that the tree was removed simply as a consequence of an inspector preventing work on a retaining wall from continuing.
DEFA said that, once a Health and Safety regulator attended the site, it became clear that work could not continue until retrospective engineering assessments and health and safety risk assessments had been completed.
The assessments were required, it said, to establish the condition of the area and understand the risks associated with the works.
Rather than issuing a formal prohibition notice, DEFA said the inspector advised the landowner to stop work until a safe system of work and the necessary risk assessments had been secured.
The landowner agreed to cease work on that basis, according to the department.
DEFA said this was a ‘common resolution’, with formal enforcement action not required where duty holders cooperate with an inspector’s findings.
The landowner subsequently provided the required information, allowing engineering investigations to be carried out.
According to DEFA, an independent third-party consultant then identified ‘significant concerns’ about the stability and ongoing risk posed by the tree and its surrounding environment.
The resulting professional advice concluded that removing the oak was the only appropriate way to mitigate those risks and safeguard the adjacent highway and surrounding land.
The tree was subsequently felled, with the A1 having to close while the work was carried out.
The circumstances had previously been reported by Manx.News, which said it had reviewed correspondence, emails and phone records relating to the works.
That report said work to replace a boundary wall at Greeba Towers had been stopped after part of the existing wall was removed and a new retaining structure had begun to be installed.
It reported that a structural engineer had warned stopping the work could leave the bank exposed and potentially put mature trees, including the oak, at risk.
The owner of Greeba Towers also told Manx.News he was disappointed by the loss of the historic tree and claimed it could have been retained had the retaining wall work been completed.
DEFA, however, said the evidence from the engineering assessments demonstrated that retaining the tree would have presented an ‘unacceptable risk’.
The department said it fully recognised the importance of mature and historically significant trees and, through its forestry responsibilities, would seek to protect them wherever it was safe and practical to do so.
‘While the loss of the tree is regrettable,’ DEFA said, the decision was taken after consideration of the available information, with the overriding objective of protecting public safety, the road network and surrounding area.
The department added that officials remained involved in managing the site throughout the process, reflecting the seriousness with which it treated both public safety and the protection of significant trees.
A licence was granted allowing the tree to be removed, with a condition requiring four replacement trees to be planted.
The species and positioning of those trees will be agreed at a later stage, DEFA said, with the aim of minimising the long-term visual impact on the area.