Council right on Anne Frank tree licence

Wednesday 16 January 2008

New talks are taking place to decide the fate of the ‘Anne Frank tree’ following a ruling that the Amsterdam city centre borough council was within its rights to grant a licence for the tree to be chopped down last year.

The ruling was made by an appeal committee which was asked to look into the case by a judge in November last year, reports ANP news service on Wednesday.

The tree’s owner and the Anne Frank foundation wanted to cut down the 30 ton tree, saying it was in danger of toppling over and causing injury and damage.

But the plans provoked worldwide protest and a group of supporters took the case to court in an effort to get the decision overturned.

Meanwhile the tree’s supporters have come up with a way to make the tree safe with the help of a €50,000 steel support structure.

After examining reports from various experts, the appeal committee has concluded that the tree is in an extremely poor condition. Nevertheless, all the reports agreed that, with the proposed support structure, the tree is safe for between 10 and 15 years.

According to the borough council, the tree’s owner is keeping the felling licence as a last resort if these plans fail, reports ANP. The licence is valid from January 30.

Anne Frank wrote about the horse chestnut tree in her famous World War II diaries.

© DutchNews.nl

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