Toby Carvery Owner Mitchells & Butlers Funds 1,000 Trees After Felling 500-Year-Old Enfield Oak

A protracted legal dispute concerning the felling of an ancient oak tree in north London has concluded, with Mitchells & Butlers (M&B), the owners of Toby Carvery, issuing an apology and committing to finance the planting of 1,000 new trees.

The 500-year-old tree, a nationally significant pedunculate oak with a girth of 6m (20ft) listed on the Woodland Trust's ancient tree inventory, was cut down in Enfield in April 2025. M&B initially claimed the felling was undertaken "to protect our employees and guests as well as the wider general public".

However, subsequent reports from the Forestry Commission and Enfield Council determined the oak was healthy, posed no demonstrable risk, and likely had centuries of life remaining. The Woodland Trust had stated they had never witnessed "tree felling as shocking as this," with one tree valuer estimating its worth at £1 million.

The felling, adjacent to the Toby Carvery Whitewebbs branch, prompted considerable public outcry, with some advocating for a boycott of the restaurant chain. Then-Enfield Council leader Ergin Erbil described the act as an "outrage", and local residents staged protests at the tree's stump.

Enfield Council had sought to evict Toby Carvery, citing severe breaches of its lease and alleging the tree was felled without council knowledge or consent. The authority had previously demanded an apology, reparations for "irreversible damage," and coverage of its legal costs.

In a joint statement, M&B and the council declared the matter closed. M&B stated: "We recognise that the felling of a well-loved veteran tree within the grounds of the Toby Carvery, Whitewebbs has upset many local people, and we fully understand the strength of feeling this has caused. M&B again, sincerely apologises for the upset this has caused."

The statement acknowledged that Enfield Council recognised M&B had "acted on the recommendation of reputable, professional advisers" to mitigate perceived "health and safety risk." M&B has now agreed to contribute to the costs of treating the felled tree site and to donate to the council's Enfield Chase Landscape Restoration scheme. This initiative, described as London's largest woodland and nature restoration project, will facilitate the restoration of an historic orchard and enable the planting and maintenance of a thousand new trees within the surrounding habitat.

Enfield Council had reported a case of criminal damage to the Met Police following the felling, though the force has reportedly deemed it a civil matter.