Garden Walk in Ashton is within a Conservation Area which limits development

Preston City Council leader councillor Peter Rankin is planning some pruning at home as well as at the Town Hall.

With the local authority going through major restructuring at a senior level councillor Rankin is also felling a few branches in his back yard.

He has applied to remove the lowest branches of a sycamore tree by three metres, as they are overhanging solar panels on the roof of his garage.

Councillor Rankin who lives on Garden Walk, within the Ashton Conservation Area, needs permission from the city council’s planning committee for the work.

Council planning officers say the tree does not have a tree protection order and have raised no objections.

Tensions between Rankin’s administration and the councillors on planning committee are currently running high according to Town Hall sources.

It comes as the committee have rejected a number of major development applications for the North and North West of the city – which if taken to appeal count lead to lengthy and expensive legal bills for the city council.

The planning application can be seen on the city council.

The planning committee are due to meet on Monday 1 December from 10am.