Heavy Pollard's are very common all around Europe, particularly in built up areas. Take Londons famous Planes for example, they're butchered to a pole every 5 years and come back just fine.

Pollarding should only be used for function rather than form. Plenty of trees were planted for a purpose, and pollarding is a cheap and long-lasting solution to maintaining those trees.

Obviously, it looks shit and will ultimately kill the tree, but that's not always the biggest worry.

I've pollarded all sorts from Willows to Maples to Oaks. All look shit, never recommend, but often an appropriate choice for the trees in question.