Planning permission has now been granted for this.  Buccleuch Estates, who are organising, and funding, this operation, have inspected the trees and advise that they are now out of dormancy and due to bud.  It is a condition of the Planning Permission that pruning should not be harmful to the trees and the professional advice is that it would be traumatic to them to be pruned during budburst.  The plan is, therefore, to postpone the pruning until June, when the trees will be better able to cope.  More precise details about dates when we have them.