Sir Paul McCartney has applied to prune a protected oak tree at his £10 million home – because not enough light is getting into his neighbours’ garden.

Agents for the former Beatle, 81, filed a planning application to prune seven trees at the Regency townhouse in August.

The tree at the centre of the application is a Holm oak which straddles the boundary between Sir Paul’s St John’s Wood property and his neighbour.

Planning documents submitted to his local council state: ‘Crown raise by 1.5m on the boundary to admit more light to [neighbouring property].’

Sir Paul McCartney's representatives have lodged plans with his local council
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Sir Paul McCartney’s representatives have lodged plans with his local council

The former Beatles singer (Sir Paul is pictured) lives in a leafy part of north London
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Sir Paul McCartney's home in St John's Wood in London
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Sir Paul McCartney (pictured left) has applied for planning permission to fell seven trees at his London property (pictured right)

Alongside the Holm oak, Sir Paul’s planning agent has asked the local council to cut back a Hornbeam and Indian bean tree as well as remove a rowan tree and replace it with a Winter’s bark.

The agents also requested that two lime trees be cut to remove ‘epicormic growth’.

The star was previously locked in a row with council bosses over cutting back a thin crown of a Birch tree, a Hornbeam and two Sycamores in 2019.

Sir Paul’s representatives lodged the plans after realising that his back garden was too dark and not getting enough light.

But planning chiefs told him that he was not giving the council enough detail about what he intended to do with the trees and they withdrew it.

A later revised application which was approved asked to chop an additional four trees down which included an evergreen Magnolia, a Chinese privet, a yew and a Holm oak.

Trees that are in a conservation area such as St John’s Wood or are subject to council orders require planning permission to have work undertaken on them.

A neighbour said: ‘A lot of trees here are protected because the area is in a specially protected conservation area where development is carefully controlled.

‘It has been difficult to get planning consent to even prune trees in the past in this area.’

Sir Paul bought the three-storey home in 1965 for £40,000. He moved in the following year after installing a large gate and intercom.

Sir Paul McCartney lives at the St John's Wood property with wife Nancy Shevell
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Sir Paul McCartney lives at the St John’s Wood property with wife Nancy Shevell

Sir Paul McCartney's local council has granted permission for the work to be undertaken
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Sir Paul McCartney’s local council has granted permission for the work to be undertaken

But Beatles fans discovered its location anyway and are said to have kept a vigil outside the house for 24 hours a day, with some managing to find a way in.

A short walk from Abbey Road Studios, it often served as a base for The Beatles for meetings before or after recordings.