February 8, 2001 16:38: A PENSIONER was devastated when a much-loved magnolia tree, a gift from his old boss more than 30 years ago, was torn down by builders without a word of warning.

Mr Vivien Lock, 73, and other residents of Glory Mill Lane, Wooburn Green, were inconsolable when they awoke on Monday morning to find their quiet country lane had been transformed into a building site overnight.

The magnolia tree was planted by Mr Lock's old boss as a thank-you gift for his dedicated work as paper machine manager at the Glory Mill Factory, where he worked for 31 years.

Housing developer Taylor Woodrow is building 114 houses at the site and had to knock down five mature trees after facing drainage problems on the site.

"I understand that the planning permission was in order but I just feel horribly misled and angry with the way the whole felling was carried out,' he said. "We were all incredibly attached to our trees and the lack of respect from all involved is very annoying."

Glory Mill Lane residents are now furious and believe they were cruelly misled about the fate of their precious trees because they thought the trees marked on the plans were the old ones, not replacement ones.

"They just turned up out of the blue without telling us a thing," said Pam Tippet, a garden designer and neighbour of Mr Lock.

"I fell in love with my dream cottage because of the natural beauty all around us and now I just don't want to be here," she added.

Although drainage issues are being cited as the reason for the uprooting, a Wycombe District Council spokesperson said the fellings were also part of an effort to improve the lane's appearance.

"These old trees did not fit in with the landscaping plans for the lane," said the council's planning officer David Gibbon.

"It was agreed that other trees would increase the attractiveness of the area.

'We do not easily agree to the felling of trees but we believed this landscaping project was a worthy one."

Alison Staddon, sales officer for Taylor Woodrow, said: "Our plans clearly show the extensive landscaping that will be carried out as the development progresses.

"As far as lack of respect, we did not set out to annoy residents and all of the work was consistent with our official plans for the area."

By.Michelle Fleming