UK Restaurant Chain Facing Eviction From Enfield Site After Felling 500-Year-Old Oak On Leased Property

[hatrack]

The restaurant chain Toby Carvery is facing eviction from one of its sites after taking a chainsaw to an ancient oak tree without the permission of its council landlord.

The partial felling last April of the 500-year-old oak on the edge of a Toby Carvery car park in Whitewebbs Park, Enfield, provoked widespread public dismay and fury from Enfield council, which leases the land to the restaurant’s owners Mitchells & Butlers Retail (M&B).

Now the north London council has revealed it is pursuing eviction proceedings against M&B after the company refused to apologise or offer compensation for the damage. In November it issued legal proceedings at Edmonton county court seeking forfeiture of the lease. The dispute is expected to reach court later this year or early next year.

Tim Leaver, the deputy leader of the council, said: “The destruction of the ancient Whitewebbs oak was a reckless act which caused huge damage to the tree and cut its expected lifespan. It shocked and angered our entire community. This centuries-old tree, sometimes known as the Guy Fawkes oak, was an irreplaceable part of Enfield’s natural heritage.” He said the partial felling happened without the council’s knowledge or consent, “in clear breach of the lease governing the site”.

EDIT

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jan/21/toby-carvery-owner-faces-eviction-enfield-north-london-felling-ancient-oak

[ratchiweenie]

1. Mitchells & Butlers Retail are just more entitled pigs and their restaurants should be boycotted.