Any surveyors, architects or developers........advice needed

[v8nrg]

Any surveyors, architects or developers........advice needed

A friend of mine has a property with a large garden, and She would like to build a house or two on the land to make some money.

The plot is certainly large enough to accommodate this, however there is a problem.

There are currently three large trees on the plot that would need to be felled, along with a few small trees.

There is currently a tree preservation on all trees in the garden.

Is planning permission likely to be granted to remove the trees ?

Would it be a better idea to remove the trees first? then apply for planning permission for the building work ?
(no specific trees have the preservation order, and no maps or plans show what trees currently exist).

Any ideas or opinions gratefully received.

[rsvmilly]

v8nrg said:

Would it be a better idea to remove the trees first? then apply for planning permission for the building work ? (no specific trees have the preservation order, and no maps or plans show what trees currently exist).

You've probably answered your own question. Planners have sharp teeth, though, with the backing of the appropriate Secretary of State.

[billsnemesis]

Planning permission is required for any work done to trees which have a preservation order on them. That includes minor lopping or felling. Preservation orders can relate to groups of trees in which case each one and any new ones in the group are included in the protection.

I have a personal grudge against local authority planning offices who I could insult and abuse without pause or repetition for hours but the fact is that they are there and we have to deal with them. Generally the best approach is to get a professional to deal with them so that, as your representative, they can be impersonal and restrained.

A local architect (not a builder or developer) would probably have the best relationship and would know whether it is better to divide up the process or go for it all in one go.

My instinct would be to explain everything that is planned and then to ask their advice on what could be done to achieve the development you want and also preserve the benefit of having the trees there. It'simportant to talk their language and refer to preserving the visual amenity and minimising the impact of the development. Proposals should be phrased in a way which emphasises that everything possible is being done to preserve or replace what is there. Planners like to be flattered so it is as important to ask for their advice as it is to suggest solutions.

They seem to have the view that anything proposed is going to be wrong so it is better, if possible, to work with one of their ideas and negotiate around that.

Could the trees be moved? Is there room to plant semi-mature trees in their place? Some of the options could be expensive but the uplift in value from getting planning permission should cover it.

It would also be useful to get an expert in to look at the possibility of having better specimens in a different place. I once attended a planning appeal where our client's expert talked about the fact that most of the trees on the site were poor specimens which were crowded and hence did not have the shape and proportion of a free growing tree. If it were possible to replace poor existing trees with better quality specimens elsewhere there is a strong argument for allowing the removal of the current crop.

Nothing in this area is black and white so don't take "no" for an answer. Keep talking and trying to find solutions.

[Sam_68]

I work as an architect for a housing developer, so I come across this one all the time.

First step for us would be to obtain a 'Tree Report' from an Arboriculturalist. This will identify and categorise the trees in terms of quality, etc. and prioritise those which must be retained and those which can be removed without detriment. The report will be undertaken in accordance with a British Standard and so is not subjective - it therefore carries considerable weight in the Planning process. Once we have obtained a tree report we would then attempt to design a layout which avoids removal of the 'quality' trees, though as tthe previous post suggests, there is some room for negotiation - replacement or even relocation of key trees.

The Local Authority will have their own Tree Officer who, in theory, could advise you on this free of charge, but in practice (being, invariably, a hippy tree hugger) will simply tell you that all your trees are wonderful and that it would be a heinous crime to remove any of them.

>> Edited by Sam_68 on Saturday 11th February 14:50