Protecting trees and homes

FELLING mature trees is a last resort and only allowed if it is not possible to protect the tree and properties from subsidence.

That’s the verdict of the executive member for planning, Cllr Wayne Smith, a Conservative candidate for Hurst ward.

He was responding to a question from Mike Smith, the Lib Dem candidate for Maiden Erlegh who wanted to know if there were ways to avoid a situation in Earley where an oak tree had been removed to avoid damaging several properties.

“The damage to these properties has been very distressing and costly to the homeowners,” he said.

“However, from an environmental and aesthetic point of view, it is also very distressing to many other residents. This is not an isolated instance.

“One possible way to reduce the need to fell large, mature trees might be a change of Planning Policy whereby, the impact of trees on or adjacent to planning application properties must be considered in depth where appropriate – perhaps something like a Bat Survey for Trees.”

Cllr Smith said that there were already a number of procedures in place to protect trees, including developers submitting a tree survey and an arboriculture impact assessment with a planning application.

He added: “The most recent draft Local Plan includes text within Policy NE4 relating to the predicted growth of trees when assessing the layout of new development sites. This will help to ensure that new developments provide sufficient space to enable trees to grow and thrive.”