Trees and hedgegrows
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Welcome to Trees and hedegrows (planning information)
Planning Policy Wales states ‘Trees, hedgerows, groups of trees and areas of woodland are of great importance for biodiversity. They are important connecting habitats for resilient ecological networks and make an essential wider contribution to landscape character, culture, heritage and sense of place, air quality, recreation and local climate moderation.’
Trees are a material consideration when considering whether to grant planning permission. The Town and Country Planning Act 1990 makes it a duty of the Local Planning Authority to ensure that in granting planning permission that adequate provision is made for the protection and planting of trees.
When submitting a planning application, details will need to be provided of trees that are affected by the development and how they will be protected. A tree survey should be carried out by a qualified arboriculturalist in accordance with BS 5837:2012 Trees in relation to design, demolition and construction – Recommendations
Measures to protect trees and hedges during construction should be included as part of the planning application. The Local Planning Authority may impose such measures as planning conditions.
There is legislation to be aware of when considering works to trees:
– Statutory conservation designations
– Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 (as amended) – particularly protection of nesting birds and/or roosting bats.
– Countryside and Rights of Way (CRoW) Act 2000
– The Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 (as amended) – protection of bats and their roosts
Work to trees
Carrying out works to trees, including felling, does not in itself require planning permission but trees can be protected in a number of ways and various consents may be required including for:
Protection
While specific trees and hedgerows may not be protected by either TPOs or the Hedgerows Regulations, they might still be important to wildlife, some species of which might also be protected.
-Even if there are no plans to remove or prune trees and hedgerows, they can be damaged during the development process in a number of ways such as:
-Pruning branches or removing sections of hedge to allow access for construction machinery
-Digging through roots for either foundations or services
-Stacking or storage of heavy materials against the tree or hedge can crush roots and starve them of water
Protected species
In addition to protection of trees and hedges, some protected species may need to be considered. Protected species likely to be affected are:
– Bats
– Birds
– Dormice
– Badgers
– Great crested newts
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