Overgrown trees topple shed and block out light, say residents

By Joe Coughlan, Local Democracy Reporter

Residents claim trees and bushes in the area are so overgrown they have knocked over a shed and attracted mice into homes. 

Revell Rise in Plumstead has become known among residents for its large number of tall trees surrounding houses, but people living in the area claim the council’s lack of maintenance has caused issues for their gardens.

Debbie Phillips, 57, has lived in Revell Rise for 27 years. 

She said: “I noticed it in January. I came out to clear the leaves from the tree and I couldn’t open the shed door, and then I realised the fence was leaning forward.”

Ms Phillips said the roots from the trees behind her garden had caused her fence to collapse and completely warped her shed. 

She said: “The council are just making excuses…They’ve cut the trees back a bit, but the roots have pushed the retaining wall down. It’s ruined my garden. I feel like I’m suffocating in my own home”

Ms Phillips said her family were told by the council it was unsafe to go into her garden until the issue was fixed, but she has received no indication of when it would be resolved.

She has since started a petition to ask the council to take immediate action on maintaining the trees, field and hedges on Revell Rise and the surrounding area. 

She said the council had failed to address complaints from residents in the area for the past 20 years.

Patricia Davis, 85, has lived on Revell Rise since 1958 and also signed Ms Phillips’ petition. 

She said: “The branches were coming right over, almost touching the roof, and we used to have to put our lights on early in the afternoon because you couldn’t see anything, it was too dark… I’m a pensioner. 

“I can’t afford too much electricity, but I was having to put my lights on even in the summer at around two o’clock in the afternoon.”

The resident said several trees had been pruned by the council since the petition was started and felt the work had made an “enormous” difference. 

But, she said residents have had several other issues in the estate and not received help from the council, such as anti-social behaviour on the steep hill behind her home.

She said: “I’ve had two car tyres roll down the hill. Teenagers were messing about and they came smashing through my fence.” 

She added: “Twice I rang the health and safety department, and I never had any response.”

A Greenwich council spokesperson said: “We’re aware that residents around Revell Rise live in an extremely green part of the borough surrounded by many mature trees.

“We’ve commissioned engineers to complete topological surveys of the bank who are drilling boreholes to understand if any work is needed. We’ll keep residents updated on any planned works.”

The spokesperson added that the council’s Parks, Estates and Open Spaces team are responsible for the maintenance of the lawns and hedges and the team had recently pruned several overgrown shrubs.

They said: “If you feel threatened by anti-social behaviour or witness an incident that creates a danger to the public, report it to the police by calling 999. 

“If you’d like to report a non-urgent incident, call 101. Our Safer Estates team will be visiting the Revell Rise area to investigate the anti-social behaviour and ensure residents know how to report it.”

Pictured top: Debbie Phillips said she first noticed the issue with her shed in January (Picture: Joe Coughlan)