Bureaucracy - it's a French Word

Back in another life when I shared complaints with Lionel about some petty Japanese data requirement or other, I used to tease him that "Bureaucracy is a French word and the French are still the world leaders at it".

In December we received a Municipal Bulletin (a nice 32 page colour publication from the Mairie - not sure how much that costs a commune of 2000 inhabitants to produce). It was announced that a new local planning rule had been introduced requiring a Declaration Préalable (like a simple planning request) before a tree could be cut down on a talus - a field boundary. Stuart, our tree surgeon recommended that we take down a mature Ash tree to allow the adjacent Oak to fully develop - The oak is a rare tree that's never received the traditional local tree management method of pollarding. Fully mature trees are comparative rarities on field boundaries and we are keen to allow ours to develop naturally.

The Ash is the tree leaning to the right

So, down to the Mairie to confirm the new regulation, an informal meeting with M. Griaud who kindly printed off all the maps I needed, looked at the photographs I had taken showing the tree and said he'd look out for the application when I submitted it. All pretty straightforward ...

Next I received a letter from M. Le Maire inviting me to a meeting at the tree with the Tree Cutting Down Committee (my translation). All five members duly arrived in the Maire's car, spent fifteen minutes talking to each other and me about the tree and then disappeared promising a response in eight days.

When the response arrived it was not an agreement, rather a "Certificate of Non-Objection".

So that's an approval then ..... I think.

Hopefully it is as Stuart and Sébastien are in next Monday to take down the tree.