Council to review tree preservation orders after objections from residents

Three tree preservation orders will be reviewed by Peterborough City Council (PCC)’s planning committee next week after local residents raised objections to them.

Tree preservation orders, or TPOs, can be controversial as they mean permission must be sought from the council to carry out any works to affected trees, even if it’s just pruning branches overhanging from a neighbour’s garden.

Objections to the first TPO, protecting the lombardy poplar trees at 99 & 101 Fulbridge Road, include claims that they have “dead, dangerous branches” and that there's no threat of the trees being removed.

PCC says that it made the order in March this year to protect the trees from a proposed development on the nearby Sheridan Road and that it did consider them “under threat”.

An objector, though, questioned PCC’s motivations, stating in a letter to the council that they “genuinely feel this TPO has been put in due to challenging the tree officer on why he disagrees with a professional arboriculturist report on the condition of the trees on the site”.

PCC responded that the officer has visited the site on several occasions and made the decision based on the information available, including from the arboriculturalist appointed by the objector.

It also says that removing dead branches is an exception to TPOs, so this wouldn't be prevented by the order.

The second TPO to be considered relates to an oak at 76 Guntons Road, Newborough, which PCC considers to be “under threat from future mis-management”.

The current owner of the tree requested the TPO, but a neighbour has objected as she says that its branches block light from her bedroom window and that “overhanging branches and falling leaves and acorns propose a health and safety hazard to disabled people, young children and animals that visit us on a regular basis”.

PCC responded that their tree officer believes it “would not appear to block any significant amount of light from the bedroom window” and that he does “not consider the overhanging branches, falling leaves and acorns to pose a significant health and safety hazard”.

The final order to be considered relates to various trees at Rhine Avenue, including sycamores, Norwegian maples and limes.

The objection relates to overhanging maples on Oundle Road; PCC says that the objectors should apply to have them pruned rather than removed altogether, despite their desire for “more sympathetic and urban friendly trees to be planted in their place”.

All three orders will be discussed and voted on at a PCC planning meeting on Wednesday, 16th August.

The head of planning has recommended that the latter two tree preservation orders remain in place, while the first should remain in place with a small number of modifications.