There was a very good TV Programmeof a few years back called 'Nature Special - City Trees', which I occasionally show my pupils. I guess it must have been on one of the BBC Channels. In this programme, they showed how trees evewn survive growing through buildings in central London e.g. car parks.
The problem with trees is the transpiration rate, which draws up water from the soil, and can cause proximal buildings to subside. Again, a few years ago, there as a graph published in the property pages of the Daily Mail showing how far trees should be away from property. Some trees are worse than others, e.g. willo spp are among the worst. However, as a rule of thumb (this article said) that a tree should be no closer to a building than its height, if it was laid down on the ground. I can try and look up a few facts and figures if you like?
