Apology and compensation for Yell tree mistake

THE ISSUE of a century-old tree being felled by power company SSEN without permission in Yell has been resolved with an apology and compensation.

Shetland News reported last month that the tree had been cut down at the unoccupied Seafield House in Yell as part of work relating to protecting overhead power lines.

But SSEN said its team had misidentified the historic tree and incorrectly thought it had permission to be cut down.

One of the landowners, Chris Morewood, has now confirmed that the matter has resolved.

He said the landowners have accepted an apology and a satisfactory compensation.

Morewood said a donation may also be given by SSEN to the Seafield Pier Trust.

However, a representative for the trust said they had not received any notification of this as yet.

Morewood said there is also an agreement to remove the stump if the tree does not regrow.

The tree before it was cut down. Photo © Google 2023

The tree before it was cut down. Photo © Google 2023

A spokesperson for SSEN said the company was unable to comment on the resolution publicly.

Morewood also said the owners may also be able to offer some land to SSEN for woodland growth, subject to discussion.

SSEN has a multimillion-pound programme which replaces trees that are felled to reduce the risk to overhead lines.

At the time a spokesperson for a spokesperson for SSEN Distribution said incidents like the one in Yell was “incredibly rare”.

It also came after an elderly woman in Otterswick, Yell said she was left devastated after whole trees were cut down in her garden – after thinking they would just be trimmed.

In that instance a spokesperson for SSEN Distribution said in a statement that the planned work had been discussed in advance with the customer – with consent forms signed.