A DISTINCTIVE monkey puzzle tree outside a Haddenham house is to be pulled to the ground.

Residents of the property in Hillrow applied to fell the native Chilean tree, which has thick, tough leaves and was taller than their house, in June.

They had to apply for planning permission to fell the tree as it was within Haddenham Conservation Area, which has now been granted by East Cambridgeshire District Council’s planning committee.

“The work should be carried out by a professional tree surgeon to the British Standard for Tree Works,” head of planning and sustainable development services Giles Hughes said.

The deadline for pulling down the tree is July 2014. If it is not done by then, the consent will have expired and a new planning application will have to be submitted.