Toby Carvery faces possible legal action from Enfield council after a 500-year-old tree was cut down.
Council Leader Ergin Erbil said the felling of the historic tree near the Whitewebbs House Toby Carvery car park was an "outrage".
He told LBC: "We're really upset about this. We're looking at all of our legal options and Toby Carvery should not have done this to this ancient oak tree without seeking advice from us and from our experts as the freeholder."
Toby Carvery's parent company Mitchells & Butlers claim the tree had been assessed as dying and a risk to the public by tree experts employed by the group, and was cut down on April 3.
According to the council leader, their experts said the tree was healthy and alive in December 2024. He was not sure where Mitchells & Butlers got advice from before taking the action, but said: "It seems the advice they got is not the right one. As you can see, it's sprouting some buds and greenery, even at this stage.
"So it shows that this tree was still very much alive. It's a shame, and we are looking at all of our legal options, as I say, as the freeholder."
Environmental campaigners and locals decried the felling as “devastating” and compared it to the felling the Sycamore Gap tree in 2023.
The Woodland Trust has argued that the old tree was still an important habitat, with ancient oaks supporting biodiversity like endangered dead wood beetles.
Ed Pyne, Woodland Trust senior conservation adviser for trees, said: “This is the most shocking fell I think I’ve ever seen in more than a decade working with ancient trees.
“In my view, and the view of many others, this is ecologically much more significant than the Sycamore Gap – and certainly a more irreplaceable tree.
“Ancient oaks are particularly rich in biodiversity with habitats that take centuries to develop. They simply can’t be replaced by younger trees and can’t be replaced quickly.”
He added that the development of decaying tree habitats are a “normal and healthy part of a tree’s lifecycle – especially in the ancient phase."
“Some of the biodiversity associated with ancient trees, like the Whitewebbs oak, is amongst the most threatened in Europe,” he said.
Ed Allnut, Enfield resident and secretary of the Guardians of Whitewebbs group, said local people wanted justice for the old oak.
“The tree belonged to Enfield and to our national heritage. I am personally devastated,” he said.
“We want answers, and we want guarantees the other trees here are being protected properly.”
A spokesperson for Mitchells & Butlers said: “The tree was cut back after we were advised that it caused a serious health and safety risk.
“This was an essential action to protect our employees and guests, to whom we have a duty of care. Upon further inspection, our specialist arboriculture contractors made the assessment that the split and dead wood posed a serious health and safety risk and advised that the tree was unsafe and should be removed.
“We took every necessary measure to ensure all legal requirements were met. We are grateful to our expert contractors for warning us of this hazard so swiftly, allowing us to act before anyone was harmed.”
