The Committee considered a report providing an
update on the Trees Team, including highlighting resourcing issues
and potential compensation costs of contesting tree costs.
The Principal Tree Officer presented the report and
gave the following responses to Members’ questions:-
-
The Trees Team considered requests for Tree
Preservation Orders (TPOs) on trees on private land in the
Borough. The number of TPOs made had
increased year-on-year over the past five years with 15 TPOs made
in 2018 compared to 13 so far in the 2022 calendar
year. There were a total of 2785 TPOs
in place across the Borough.
-
Prosecutions in relation to TPOs had also increased
in recent years with one prosecution made in 2020 and 6 cases
authorised for prosecution for the 2022 calendar year to date, of
which three were criminal offences that would be likely to be taken
to Crown Court and three were summary notices likely to be
considered at the Magistrate’s Court. The Trees Team undertook an average of 50
enforcement cases per year with one enforcement case currently
standing at 250 officer hours and 300 car miles of costs, as well
as Legal Officer and Barrister costs.
-
In assessing the amenity value of a tree, two
factors were taken into account
comprising a monetary value, using Capital Asset Value for Amenity
Trees (CAVAT) which provided a basis for managing trees as public
assets rather than liabilities, and the valuation of a trained
individual.
-
The Trees Team also dealt with complaints about high
hedges with an average case taking 18 working hours from initial
assessment to the service of a remedial notice, with additional
time required in relation to appeals and enforcement. The Local Authority charged £500 for handing
such complaints and it was proposed that this be raised to
£750 to cover the costs of the service, in line with other
Councils.
The Vice-Chairman noted that the Local Authority was
undertaking a proactive tree planting programme and underlined the
importance of ensuring that the Local Authority met its
responsibilities around ongoing tree maintenance, particularly
in light of claims for
damages.
The Committee agreed that reports be presented to
future meetings of the Development Control Committee outlining the
business cases for surveying the Local Authority’s TPO
portfolio and raising the cost of handling high hedges
complaints. The Committee also
discussed the workload of the Trees Team, and it was requested that
a report presenting a business case on its future operation and
resourcing, including staffing, be presented to the Renewal,
Recreation and Housing Portfolio Holder via the Renewal, Recreation
and Housing PDS Committee.
RESOLVED: That:
-
Reports presenting the business
cases for surveying the Local Authority’s TPO portfolio and
raising the cost of handling high hedges complaints be presented to
future meetings of the Development Control Committee;
and,
-
A report presenting a business
case on the future operation and resourcing of the Tree Team,
including staffing be presented to the Renewal, Recreation and
Housing Portfolio Holder via the Renewal, Recreation and Housing
PDS Committee.