Self-build wooden framed house plan poses risk to protected trees, inspector rules
A family have been told that they cannot build a house close to two protected trees because it could lead to calls to have them chopped down.
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The applicants, of Church Aston, near Newport, took their case to self-build a four-bed timber-framed property to the Planning Inspectorate after having their application rejected by Telford & Wrekin Council.
Now an inspector has agreed with the council that although the property could be built close to a sweet chestnut and a sycamore, future occupants of the house could draw up a justifiable case to have them removed.
Inspector Hannah Guest’s ruling was published last week.
A tree report found that both trees were in good health and were “high value landscape features.”
If lost, “their absence would create a noticeable gap in the landscape,” the inspector found.
“In my view, given the proximity, the protected trees would be overbearing, even if pruned before construction.
“This relationship would likely increase pressure for future pruning of the trees or even removal of the trees altogether, due to, for example, seasonal nuisance, such as leaf litter.
“Overall, I am of the view that future occupants of the proposed dwelling would most likely find the protected trees oppressive.”
The inspector found that there is a “tangible risk that occupation of the proposed dwelling would result in future pressure to extensively prune or remove them".
The applicants' plan to plant trees to replace the protected two would “not provide justification to risk the future removal of the protected trees”, the inspector also ruled.
