Issue - meetings

The Committee considered the report and the urgent update report of the Head of Planning and Development concerning Tree Preservation Order No. 5002/2014/MS which was made to protect one Sycamore tree located adjacent to the entrance of Foley Oast, Lower Street, Leeds, Maidstone.  It was noted that:

·  The Order had been made in response to conservation area notification 14/502017/TCA. The notice proposed works by the tree owner that would have reduced the tree significantly in size and resulted in large pruning wounds.  The works would not have been in accordance with the recommendations of BS3998:2010 and were not, therefore, considered to be in line with best practice.  The sum of the works proposed was considered to be excessive, unjustified and inappropriate arboricultural management which would have had a significant detrimental impact on the long term health and amenity value of the tree.  The tree was also considered to make a valuable contribution to the character and amenity of the area.

·  An objection to the Order had been received from the tree owner.  The grounds for objection were largely a criticism of the conservation area regulations and its mechanisms relating to trees.  The owner’s wish to carry out works to the tree had since been addressed by the submission and approval of an application for lesser works under the Tree Preservation Order.  It was not considered that the grounds of objection demonstrated that it was inappropriate to make a Tree Preservation Order on the Sycamore tree or that the tree should not continue to be the subject of the Order.

RESOLVED:  That Tree Preservation Order No. 5002/2014/MS be confirmed without modification.

Voting:  13 – For  0 – Against  0 – Abstentions