The council is now seeking legal action against Toby Carvery after it chopped down the ancient oak tree on public land in Whitewebbs Park on April 3.
The company initially defended the move, saying tree experts employed by its owner Mitchells & Butlers assessed the oak as dying and a risk to the public.
Mitchells & Butlers CEO has since apologised to Enfield people in a letter.
Council leader Cllr Ergin Erbil said that Toby Carvery had “broken the terms of the lease” by not even seeking advice about the condition of the tree.
He said the destroyed tree showed “clear signs of life” and that the council would do “everything it could” to help the tree grow back.
Ancient oak in Whitewebbs Park before it was felled by Toby Carvery without permission from landlord Enfield Council (Image: Woodland Trust)
He added: “I am outraged that the leaseholder has cut down this beautiful ancient oak tree without seeking any permissions or advice from Enfield Council.
“We have evidence that this tree was alive and starting to grow new spring leaves when this action was taken.
“Our team of experts checked the tree in December 2024 and found it was healthy and posed no risk to the neighbouring car park and its users.”
Cllr Erbil said the police are treating the felling as a civil matter but the council would continue to take appropriate legal action.
He added: “As the land owner we believe this action has broken the terms of the lease, which requires Toby Carvery to maintain and protect the existing landscape.
“The tree was the oldest one on site and cutting it down seems to be a clear breach of this condition.
“This tree would have been home to countless wildlife, fungi, and pollinators. This tree is a part of our ecological and cultural heritage.”
He said if any criminal activity is found during the investigation, the council would not hesitate to report this to the police again.
Mitchells & Butlers CEO Phil Urban did not comment on the breach when approached by this paper.
However in a letter to residents he said he was “very sorry” for all the anger and upset the incident had caused.
He added: “As a business and, more importantly, as human beings, we are obliged to act on all health and safety issues where expert advice warns us of a direct risk to life or serious injury.
“The penalties, legally, financially and more importantly, emotionally, for failing to do that, when something subsequently happens, are too great to contemplate. ”
He said a worker had “acted in good faith” in response to expert advice in authorising the felling, but said he would “totally accept” this was an exceptional circumstance and the firm had already decided it needed to tighten its protocols.
He added: “We cannot undo what has been done, and none of us will ever know whether the felling of this beautiful old tree has prevented a future tragedy.”
