Killjoy council orders father to tear down the 'magical' treehouse he built with his autistic nine-year-old son

By ROBERT FOLKER, NEWS REPORTER Published: 11:05, 10 July 2026 | Updated: 11:17, 10 July 2026 A killjoy council has ordered a father to tear down a treehouse he built with his autistic nine-year-old son, which the pair say is their 'special safe place'. Pete Phipps, 51, and Cooper, 9, built the treehouse near their home in Burrow's Field in Cheltenham as a way to encourage Cooper, who has autism and severe anxiety, to leave the house.  Mr Phipps, an artist and sign writer from Leckhampton in Gloucestershire said the pair have been to the site near their home nearly every day since they started the project last year.   However, Leckhampton with Warden Hill Parish Council has said the treehouse cannot remain because it sits on public land shared by Cheltenham Borough Council and the Parish Council,  meaning it 'must be covered by public liability insurance'. Mr Phipps said: 'This treehouse is a sculptural and magical piece. It's not something that has just been thrown together. 'It's been our special safe place where we have come every day to just hang out and be together in nature. 'The reason why we came here was in search of something alternative, local and safe for Cooper, who has enjoyed it so much. 'It's somewhere we decided was a great place to hang out, and we have built up so many friends here too. The majority of people love it and are angry and upset it is being brought down.' Pete Phipps, 51, and Cooper, 9, built the treehouse near their home in Burrow's Field in Cheltenham as a way to encourage Cooper, who has autism and severe anxiety, to leave the house  The pair discovered a large tree that had fallen down in Burrow's Field whilst out on a walk last year and started to build a treehouse around it Mr Phipps, an artist and sign writer from Leckhampton in Gloucestershire said the pair have been to the site near their home nearly every day since they started the project last year The father-of-two explained how Cooper has not been in school for two years due to autism and pathological demand avoidance (PDA), and decided to start home-schooling. As part of this, Mr Phipps said they discovered the value of spending time outdoors to help Cooper deal with his anxieties. He said: 'Cooper struggled with school and it wasn't right for him. 'So, we went down the route of home-schooling and not following a set curriculum. 'He had huge school trauma and anxiety once he left year two and it took us a long time to work that out. 'Like other hundreds of families out there we've been left trying to find our own way.' The pair discovered a large tree that had fallen down in Burrow's Field whilst out on a walk last year and soon learnt the tree had been used as a 'hang out' spot by locals for up to 30 years. Every time they came back to the tree Cooper and Mr Phipps would add another piece to it in an attempt to construct the treehouse that now stands today. Mr Phipp ssaid: 'It was like the Elf and the Shoemaker, people kept adding little bits to the tree. 'We then finally bumped into these teens who had been using the tree too, and we all collaborated to build this epic treehouse that has unfortunately been read its last rites'. As the treehouse started getting more popular, the council became aware of its existence and Cooper and Peter had to meet with the chief tree officer, parish councillor and parish parks councillor back in April. Mr Phipps said that there are ways to make the treehouse safer, but part of its charm is that it has been used as a tool for Cooper and fellow teenagers to learn about nature, building and the importance of playing outdoors. He said: 'There are ways of making it safer but we don't want it completely safe. If I had a forest school this is what it would be. 'Young people learning by themselves with guidance.' Mr Phipps said that there are ways to make the treehouse safer, but part of its charm is that it has been used as a tool for Cooper and fellow teenagers to learn about nature, building and the importance of playing outdoors Pictured: Cooper working on and in the treehouse in Burrow's Field in Cheltenham Mr Phipps' family have pleaded with the council and say they have asked what they can do to make the treehouse insurable. A spokesperson for the council said: 'In December 2025 Leckhampton with Warden Hill Parish Council (LwWHPC) purchased Lott Meadow from developers to preserve this popular community asset for all to use. 'When we became aware of the Tree House we met with the father, Pete, who built it for his son and others to use, along with Cheltenham Borough Council (CBC). 'The Tree House is built half on PC land and half on CBC land. At this meeting LwWHPC undertook to do all they could to enable the Tree House to remain in use. CBC had already spoken to their insurers who had declined to insure it. 'Following extensive enquiries with our insurer, numerous brokers and specialist arboreal insurers LwWHPC were unable to find any insurer who was prepared to provide the necessary Public Liability Insurance required for such a structure to remain on publicly owned land. 'Whilst LwWHPC are very sympathetic to the plight of the family we have been left with no alternative and due to the very poor health of the tree are taking the advice of the tree experts at CBC as to the future of the tree, to prevent any untoward incident. 'The Parish Council shares the disappointment many will feel at this news, and we want to thank the community for understanding the difficult balance we must strike between supporting play and ensuring safety.'