A tree preservation order (TPO) has been put on two oak trees in a Swansea suburb, despite claims made by two residents about their safety.
One of the oaks, on a sloping verge in Llwyn Mawr Close, near Sketty Primary School, is estimated to be more than 100 years old.
The other tree - a Turkey oak - borders the nearby lane into the school.
The council's planning committee approved an officer recommendation to confirm a provisional preservation order at a meeting on January 12.
One of the residents objecting to the order claimed in a letter to the council, among other things, that the old oak was dangerous to pedestrians and traffic and that its proximity to the primary school was a "grave cause for concern".
However, he told the planning committee in person that he was no threat to the oak, having spent more than £1,400 on tree surgeons over the past year to prune and also remove ivy from it.
The other objector wrote to the council saying the Turkey oak overhung their house and back garden, and that it looked like it might fall over or lose a big branch in a bad storm.
Council tree officers did not share these concerns about the tree's safety, and said that work could still be carried out on protected trees.
Councillors agreed that confirming the provisional order would help safeguard the oaks' long-term future, although they commended the objector who had spent more than £1,400.
Cllr Mary Jones said she was a little puzzled. "I can't see what the objection is with a TPO to protect the tree in perpetuity," she said.
Cllr Peter Black agreed. It was important, he said, for the committee to "future-proof" the oak, which he described as a "particularly splendid specimen".
Cllr Will Evans said: "We have got to look at the future and we have got to protect it (the tree) in perpetuity - I don't see what the fuss is all about."
Committee members also heard that the verge on which the old oak is located should have been landscaped and planted by a developer, but that this had not happened. The matter is currently the subject of an enforcement investigation.
The only councillor to vote against the tree preservation order was Richard Lewis, who felt the council was being "heavy handed" in its approach and that the objector had brought in "first class" tree surgeons.
