Press Release

7 July 2025

Fareham Borough Council welcomes decision by Direct Line to retain trees

Fareham Borough Council has welcomed news published today by the BBC that insurance company Direct Line has reversed its plan to fell six mature trees that it blames for subsidence damage to a bungalow in Fareham and to install a root barrier instead.

The Council has long expressed concern over the increasing number of insurance-led requests to remove healthy trees implicated as the cause of subsidence. In July 2024, this culminated in the Leader of Fareham Borough council, Councillor Simon Martin, writing to the Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, urging the Government to reconsider its position on Tree Preservation Order legislation. The letter highlighted how current laws expose local authorities to significant compensation risks if they refuse consent to fell protected trees—even when alternative engineering solutions are available.

In September 2024, Councillor Martin also wrote to the Chief Executive of Direct Line seeking confirmation as to what alternatives to felling the trees between Heath Lawns and Southmead Road had been explored.

Councillor Simon Martin said: “We are delighted that the insurance company now seems to have adopted a far more appropriate solution and very much hope that pressure by the Council has played a part in helping to achieve this. The removal of healthy trees should never be the first option. We’ve made it clear to Government that the current legislation puts councils in an impossible position—caught between protecting our natural environment and avoiding costly legal claims. Reform is urgently needed to ensure that tree felling is truly a last resort.”

Fareham Borough Council has not received any information from Direct Line regarding this matter.

ENDS