A STOKESLEY man battling to build a flood wall around his home has won a compromise after planning officials sought to stop him felling trees in his garden.

Last winter's floods caused £40,000 worth of damage to Mr Robert Bezemer's family home in Station Road, near the River Leven flood channel and Eller Beck.

He applied to Hambleton council for permission to remove a hedge and possibly all the older trees. He hoped to build a defensive wall and fell the trees, which he thought were simply too big. One was estimated at being 60ft high.

However, Hambleton planners thought that most of the cedar, birch, maple, pine and deodar trees were attractive and feared a wall could harm the roots. The trees were inspected, and only two were allowed to be felled. Officers recommended that tree preservation orders should be placed on seven others.

Yesterday, the planning committee meeting agreed to allow Mr Bezemer to fell four. Preservation orders were placed on the others.

Mr Bezemer had objected to the original recommendation and wrote to the planning department, stating: "Few things have upset me more than your decision to put preservation orders on the trees. This will delay or prevent me from building a flood defence wall, even though the Environment Agency issued a warning last week that flooding is likely to get more severe.

"I don't suppose you have ever experienced the devastation and resulting trauma when the home in which you were born and lived your entire life is flooded. To see sentimental possessions and irreplaceable memorabilia destroyed, and then see your family confined to one room for seven months with basic facilities, is soul destroying," he said.

"Perhaps I should send you a video we recorded at the time of the flood, which may demonstrate why, even at huge expense, we would wish to do all we can to avoid a repetition of the events of last November."

He recalled planting the trees with his late father, adding: "Nobody will be sadder than I to see them go. But trees eventually grow too large for small gardens. They need to be removed before they consume the garden or damage buildings. That is the stage we are at now."

Mr Bezemer reminded the committee he never adopted a cavalier attitude or felled the trees indiscriminately.

"I discussed my application with your office before appointing an architect. I asked my architect to explain to the planning committee that, for good reason, it was my intention to fell more trees than was actually required to build the wall."

He claimed the planning system was costly and bureaucratic. He also stated that 26 younger trees had been planted to soften the impact of removing the others. More extensive replanting was also proposed.

"I cannot believe tree preservation orders were intended to apply to this type of domestic situation. These trees have no important amenity value to anyone other than my family and myself," he said. He thought the system generally discouraged home owners from co-operating with planners.

Humorously, he suggested the wording on Hambleton council letterheads be changed from "providing high quality services that benefit the community" to "providing red tape and bureaucracy."

Mr Bezemer won some support from Couns Mike Richardson and Jacqueline Griffiths. Coun Richardson said: "Know-ing how badly they were flooded last November they have my sympathy and I cannot uphold the order. We should take a more practical and realistic approach and let them fell whatever trees they feel necessary to build some sort of wall.''

Coun Griffiths said: ''A flood wall is the more important thing for the property. With the replanting they are proposing they should be supported in trying to defend their property.''