Skip to content

Calls to save tree near Paul McCartney home

Tom Walker,Merseysideand
Haider Saleem,North West
BBC A large leafy tree on a grassed area between brick houses, with temporary metal fencing surrounding its trunk.BBC
Visitors from around the world would take photographs of the tree in blossom

Residents have urged a housing association to explore every option to save a mature tree which has been in their community for generations.

The tree on Hurstlyn Road in Allerton stands about 100 yards from Forthlin Road, where Sir Paul McCartney grew up, and residents said Beatles fans visiting the area often photograph it.

Torus, a housing association operating across the North West, said independent inspections had found the tree had a rotting core and dead wood, and advised that it should be felled.

Neighbours accepted it should be removed if it posed a danger, while Torus said residents would be consulted about replacement planting.

Linda Owens and her husband Steve stand together on the grass in front of the large tree, with metal fencing and brick houses behind them.
Linda Owens and her husband Steve said they wanted the area to remain green

Linda Owens, 69, who has lived opposite the tree for 39 years, said her children had climbed it when they were little, and she now walks past it with her grandchildren.

She said its blossom looked like "pink candy floss" in the spring and the tree provided privacy for people living nearby.

OTHER On the left: an old yellow door Center: A red-brick terraced house with white-framed windows and a small front lawn, seen behind a black metal gate. Right: a balck and white photo of Paul McCartney holding a guitar. OTHER
Paul McCartney lived at 20 Forthlin Road

She said: "It was just a shock when we saw people going to chop it down because we were not informed at all.

"If it is a danger, it has got to go because we do not want it to hurt anyone."

Owens said she wanted the area to remain green and hoped at least three trees would be planted as replacements.

She said visitors from countries including the United States, China and Australia stopped nearby while visiting McCartney's former home and took photographs of the tree when it was in blossom.

Margaret Lake holding an umbrella beside the grassed area, with the fenced-off tree and brick houses behind her.
Margaret Lake said the tree had become part of the community

Margaret Lake said the tree was "part and parcel" of the community and described its spring blossom as "like a bouquet".

She said residents wanted Torus to consider every option but recognised the final decision had to be based on expert safety advice.

'Last resort'

Ian Ruffley, from Torus, said the tree was first inspected in March 2025. During the inspection, it was discovered that the tree was decayed and should be monitored.

Ruffley said a further inspection in March 2026 confirmed the problem and several independent arborists subsequently found a rotting core and dead wood in its centre.

According to Torus, pruning and other ways of extending the tree's life were considered, but experts concluded that it was necessary to remove it as a "last resort".

Ruffley acknowledged residents had not been consulted in the usual way because Torus had progressed the work quickly in response to the safety concerns.

The housing association is planning to write to residents and hold engagement events so they can have a say over replacement planting.

Torus said it was committed to retaining the green space and currently has no other plans for the land.

Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.