Diocese of Ely has application to chop down protected trees around Chatteris vicarage rejected

An application to chop down eight protected trees around a Fenland vicarage has been rejected.

The Diocese of Ely, which owns the trees, requested permission to fell eight sycamores at The Vicarage on Church Lane in Chatteris, but this has been denied by Fenland District Council (FDC).

The diocese is compelled to ask Fenland District Council (FDC) for permission to make any changes to the trees because they are protected by a Tree Preservation Order (TPO).

The council said in its refusal notice that the trees “continue to warrant protection” and that the “justification given for the works is not considered sufficient to outweigh its protected status”.

The diocese gave various reasons for wanting to fell each of the eight trees such as their damaging a wall separating the vicarage from the road and their hanging into a public car park.

Some of the trees are themselves damaged, the application adds.

But FDC’s tree officer said they were not prepared to approve the loss of trees that “make a significant contribution to the character of the area”.

They added that they would have no objection to the other works proposed by the diocese, which includes cutting back four more sycamores as well as an ash and an elm.

As well as the objection from the tree officer, the application was also met with objections from members of the public.

Lawrence Weetman wrote that “removing trees covered by a TPO should always be a last resort”.

“It is not clear what the justification for doing so is here,” he continued. “In this case, the trees are within a conservation area and within the grounds of Chatteris' only Grade I listed building (the parish church). These significant churchyard trees offer significant amenity value, and the loss of eight mature trees will have a significant negative impact upon the setting of the parish church as a designated heritage asset.”

The Diocese of Ely says that some of the trees have poor form and poor unions – where the branches meet the trunk – and that they are too close to the vicarage building and boundary wall.

While it has submitted some photos of the trees and a short tree report, FDC says that if it wishes to make the application again it must provide “a detailed report on the damage to walls and building and alternative methods to mitigate any inherent weaknesses in the trees to justify the loss of such a landscape feature”.

It also has the right to appeal to the Secretary of State.