Objections to South Glos Planning Application P20/00962/TRE

Objections to South Glos Planning Application P20/00962/TRE

Started
26 January 2020
Petition to
Simon Penfold (Arboricultural Officer, South Gloucestershire Council)
Signatures: 140Next Goal: 200
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Why this petition matters

Started by Cian Power

Planning Application P20/00962/TRE dated 15th January 2020 proposes major alterations to the tree management at Charlton Hayes which was originally detailed in planning application PM16/1319/RM.

This is based on a recent arboricultural assessment which has proposed extensive tree removal, including the majority of Ash trees in the area. 

Objections are raised on the following basis:

1) Ash Dieback - this disease has been present in the UK since 2012. It was not mentioned in the original 60 page arboricultural report dated 15th March 2016. In the latest report dated 24th October 2019 the majority of Ash trees are to be removed. Evidence of disease has not been established in them and therefore it appears to be in contravention to the Woodland Trust position regarding Ash dieback (Woodland Trust Position on Ash Dieback) and that of the Forestry Commission (Forestry Commission Guidance on Ash Dieback). The reason for the significant alteration in position given the same arboricultural consultants (RPS) completed the report, only 3.5 years later is totally unclear.

2) Impact to Visual Amenity of the Area - the removal of the large number of trees that is planned will completely change the outlook of the development and open up the green spine area in a way that is not in keeping with, or at all in the spirit of, the original planning application. 

3) Inadequacy of Tree Replacement Plan - Where trees are planned for removal and replacement, the report is not specific on the species, maturity or number of the trees that will be used for replacement. Tree replacement does not appear to be on a one for one basis and from review appears to be inadequate. This will result in a fundamental change to the original plan and design for the green spine area. 

4) Wildlife Impact - the current wooded area has been a habitat for local populations of wildlife, and whilst many have been driven out or removed by the ongoing development work such as deer and badger, there remains a healthy population of rabbits, grey squirrels and foxes as well as many bird species including: blue tits, great tits, coal tits, goldfinches, magpies, blackbirds, crows, robins, wrens, wood pigeons, collared doves, lesser spotted woodpeckers and jays (all of have which have been sighted in the last 6 months). There is no impact statement or consideration at all in the abovementioned planning application to wildlife.

5) Over-riding concerns:

-          Why has the approach to tree management so drastically changed in the 3.5 years between the two reports from RPS / Bovis Homes mentioned above – and what is driving this? It would appear that at least superficially the driver is economics, logistics and factors relating to future hand-over of the development into management by either the council or a private management company? If it is about management for future handover, then this presumably could be managed in a much less aggressive way (perhaps through an indemnity agreement or something similar between the developer and the future management company or council as applicable, so as to preserve and retain as many trees as possible for as long as possible, rather than take such drastic action now which will have a huge visual and in entirely unnecessary environmental impact).

-          There is currently very poor landscaping throughout Charlton Hayes. This is not being implemented or managed properly. This gives us concerns that the replacement tree work will be inadequate or may never be carried out and to put it bluntly, there are concerns that this report has been written to provide rationale to strip out and negate any need for actual arboreal management to be required in the future.

-          There is a poor history of management of trees under TPO at Charlton Hayes and therefore such invasive tree removal may impact healthy trees that are currently planned to be retained, which may lead to further devastation of the tree population that is under considerable threat. Condition 5 of the original planning decision notice of 2016 (PT16/13/19/RM) required that “development must be carried out exactly in accordance with the Arboricultural Impact Assessment dated 15th March 2016” with the explanation that “The trees on site are protected by a Tree Preservation Order. Their retention and protection is necessary in the interests of the visual amenity of the area”.

-          The report dated October 2019 reflects the inadequate management of the wooded area by the developers (Bovis Homes) in that very few of the trees were able to be properly inspected. This means the report is based primarily on visual inspection from a distance and supposition that, because a species of tree can be affected by a disease, that it is infected, and therefore presents too much of a risk to be retained.

We would like to raise our objections to this planning application on the above grounds and kindly request that South Gloucestershire Council takes this into full consideration whilst reviewing it.

We urge the council to push for a full and considered evaluation of the wooded area and not a report generated without sufficient evidence or proper explanation for such major deviation to the original planning application and aboricultural plan for the development.

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Signatures: 140Next Goal: 200
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Decision-Makers

  • Simon PenfoldArboricultural Officer, South Gloucestershire Council