Boris Johnson wins fight over tree at £3.8m Oxfordshire home

The former prime minister and his wife, Carrie Johnson, had asked South Oxfordshire District Council for consent to remove the willow and two ash trees from the gardens.

Their Grade II‑listed riverside property, Brightwell Manor, lies in the countryside between Didcot and Wallingford and was bought in 2023 as a substantial family base away from London.

Mr Johnson has roots in the county, having previously served as Conservative MP for Henley from 2001 to 2008 before going on to be Mayor of London and later entering Downing Street.

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Brightwell Manor in Oxfordshire. (Image: Knight Frank)

Planning documents show photographs of the outdoor pool with the willow standing only a few metres away, close to a barbecue and seating area used for family gatherings.

Councillors have now signed off on the application following a consultation, allowing the felling work to proceed.

In his written case to the authority, Mr Johnson said the willow should be removed because falling leaves “keep filling up the pool and filter – causing damage to the filter” and added that he hoped to replace it with “a new shed”.

Plans also cover two ash trees: a smaller ash suffering from ash dieback and a larger multi‑stemmed tree described as being “too big for the location and [which] shades a new patio area”.

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Boris Johnson and his wife, Carrie Johnson. (Image: Victoria Jones / PA)

The 59-year-old stressed that he intends to “replant many trees in due course”, indicating that new planting is expected elsewhere in the extensive gardens.

No objections were submitted by neighbours during the consultation period, suggesting the proposals have attracted little local opposition.

The ruling follows an earlier dispute over the same pool, when permission was temporarily put on hold amid concerns about the impact on protected great crested newts.

Officials eventually granted approval in 2023 on the condition that the couple created additional wildlife habitats elsewhere in the garden to offset any possible harm.

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Brightwell Manor in Oxfordshire. (Image: Knight Frank)

Soon after the pool was completed, the family shared images of themselves and friends enjoying the water as they celebrated their son Frank’s second birthday.

Writing later in his newspaper column, Mr Johnson insisted he backed conservation efforts, declaring: “If necessary to protect the newts, I will consecrate the entire swimming pool to these wonderful survivors of the vast defeated armies of nature.

“And insofar as I dig a pool, it will be a newt pool and not a pool for human beings.”

He also remarked that, despite his efforts to check, he had yet to uncover any firm proof that great crested newts were actually present in his back garden.