I would like firstly to give a big shout out to Lewis who left a comment about my tree. I contacted the council, and i don't have a preservation order. They also gave me a list of council-approved tree surgeons who will give you a free quotation!

So my next steps are to finish mowing the lawn (hope the weather holds out!) and then give one a ring next week.

The council also tried to encourage me to keep the tree, but i hope to replace it with a much smaller, and more attractive looking specimen. Maybe something like a cherry tree. I think that when this is done, i will try my hand at designing. But i think i will proably still need to hire someone to help as parts of it will be beyond me.