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23
May
Eight Ripon trees slapped with TPOs after felling request
Tree Preservation Orders have been placed on eight sycamores in Ripon after a bid to fell them.
Damian Martin applied to North Yorkshire Council to carry out work on the trees, which are situated to the rear of Allhallowgate in Ripon Conservation Area.
Mr Martin’s application said:
“There are 26 sycamore trees in a straight line, in total, that have grown in height massively over the last 10 years.”
He said he would like to fell eight of them, “leaving the stumps and roots on the ground”, adding: “These can then be managed to keep at a more manageable height."
James Stacey, from the council’s arboricultural section, recommended the plans be refused and the trees made the subject of a Tree Preservation Order, which makes it a criminal offence to remove them without council consent.
Mr Stacey said “no significant arboricultural justification has been presented for the proposed felling”.
He added:
The trees are highly visible from the surrounding public vantage points and the loss of eight mature trees will result in the loss of a significant area of visible canopy and be detrimental to the surrounding amenity.
'Higher property values'
His survey concluded the trees were healthy and expected to live for between 40 and 100 years.
Council planning officer Vanessa Wood accepted his recommendation to deny the request.
Ms Wood said in her letter to Mr Martin:
Because the trees have a special amenity value which contributes to the character and appearance of the conservation area, a Tree Preservation Order has been made. This means that the tree works you propose cannot now be carried out without the express written consent of the council.
She said the council “has a legal obligation to preserve and to protect trees”, adding:
Having a preserved tree on your property need not be seen as a handicap, indeed areas with a large number of protected trees tend to enjoy higher property values than those without.
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