Millionaire row residents are celebrating after blocking their neighbour from chopping down two protected yew trees in the garden of his £1.4million home.

Peter Sykes had planned to tear down the 30-foot-high yew trees in his garden to make space for a new building and parking bays at the front of his house.

His neighbours then kicked up a fuss, saying it would have been a 'travesty of justice' if the trees were removed as they are 'over 60 years old and in good condition'.

They are now 'delighted' that the plan has been defeated, saying that people 'both in the street and nearby' had been concerned.

Mr Sykes, who lives in Andover, Hampshire, does not live in the home and has reportedly left it empty for the past five years.

The house has been owned by his family since the 1960s and neighbours now want him to sell it to someone who can restore the plot.

He has had several tenants, and recently it is believed that Polish contractors have been living there while they undertake maintenance work.

Last year, Mr Sykes left his neighbours furious when he won approval to 'squeeze' a new house into his garden in Winchester, Hampshire, in May 2025, with the condition that the trees were conserved.

He decided to challenge Winchester City Council's decision about the trees, but now it has been rejected unanimously at a planning committee meeting.

The application caused major upset to the neighbours, on the road where homes cost an average of £1.442million, who said that he should sell the property which they claim he has turned to 'rack and ruin'.  

The neighbours have accused him of 'manipulating' the planning process on the property - which no one has lived in permanently for five years.

It is believed that Mr Sykes still has a desire to live in the four-bedroom property - despite never having done so in the past.

The £1.44million home is a district of the cathedral city, which was one of the first conservation areas in the country.

Fifteen neighbours put in objections to the plans and claimed the removal would have affected the 'quaint' and 'quirky' area.

They also raised concerns about parking on the narrow street if more work is undertaken - as there is not enough space for lorries to turn on the road.

Reacting to the decision to preserve the trees, retired lawyer Nick Page, 69, who has lived next door with his wife since 1994, said he was 'delighted'.

He said: 'I am very happy to say that everybody in the road and surrounding roads are delighted about the planning committee's decision to confirm the tree preservation order on the two yew trees.

'Everybody thinks it is important to preserve the character of this conservation area, including the mature trees and it would have been a travesty if the planning committee had permitted these trees to be taken down, after they had granted planning permission for a new house.

'We were very impressed at the way the planning committee dealt with the issues at the meeting and the manner in which they endorsed the recommendations of their tree preservation officers.

'I think it is right to say there is ongoing concern about the preservation of other trees on the site and the manner in which the building works will be carried out.'

Peter Moir, 78, has lived opposite the house with his wife since 1992.

He said: 'We were delighted with the outcome. We were all delighted with the decision to make permanent the provisional TPO on the two Yew Trees on the new development.

'The decision was largely based on the amenity value of the trees.

'It was causing a lot of concern to a lot of people both in the street and nearby.'

Mr Moir said that Mr Sykes argued that the trees were diminishing the value of his property, but he had previously agreed to maintain the TPO in his application.

He commended local councillor Richard Murphy, for his 'helpful comments on the importance of large and established trees to the Conservation area'.

Industry manager Liam Kilpatrick, 55, has lived next door since 2002.

He said: 'I think it is more about the principle that they are protected and therefore it should not be honoured.

'I think what is more concerning is that the owner of the property was given permission to put the house in the garden with the condition that these trees remained so doing this really is not acceptable.

'He doesn't live there and has put in zero effort to engage with the community who live in the street.

'He has never come round to try and get support from people. He treats us with a total disrespect.

'He has had multiple tenants but he has run it into the ground. He has been very irresponsible. It is rather sad really.'