No good reasons to cut down trees say councillors

COUNCILLORS have criticised an agent, applying on behalf of Wiltshire Council to fell ash and elm trees, of being “rude and ill mannered” by failing to provide full information.

Considering the bid to cut down the trees on land adjacent to the A350 at Chalford, Westbury Town Council’s highways, planning and development committee said there was no specific information about which trees  were earmarked, or an arboricultural or expert report giving written reasons.

“It’s not very well written out,” said cllr Brenda Pyne, adding that the applicant had ticked ‘yes’ on the application form to indicate the tree was diseased or that there were fears it might break and fall.

“If ‘yes’, why?” she asked. “They are required to provide written arboricultural advice or information from an expert – I do not see any of that included in this, so I wonder why they want to knock down trees when we are not given a real reason why.”

Cllr Mike Sutton said, “Although there are reasons for destroying trees for various circumstances I’m always against destroying trees unless we are given proper written information, and we don’t have it for this. 

“If it has come from the unitary authority I find it surprising – they should know better. So I would refuse this on the grounds they have not given any reason as to why the trees should be cut down.”

Cllr Jane Russ said it had cynically crossed her mind that perhaps they were about to make some sort of development within the area and wanted to cut out some trees so they could later say, ‘we could put  a road in there’. 

Seconding cllr Sutton’s proposal to refuse, cllr Ward Jones said, “I feel we are being treated rather badly by this applicant applying on behalf of Wiltshire Council. 

“It’s quite rude and ill mannered not to supply the information when we think of the way in which other applicants have to jump through hoops to provide paperwork, and here we are given a tick in a box, and  I think we should underline that in our objection.”

Cllr Pyne agreed, “It’s very easy to say something is diseased or damaged but if you don’t give the proper experts’ report to go with it, you can say anything really can’t you?

“If this is a TPO [Tree Preservation Order] one it’s got  to be even more careful of what they cut down. They could just go through there like a hot knife through butter and you’re left with a dreadful situation.” 

Cllr Gordon King said,  “There have been tree works along there for the last few weeks and they have been generally trimming back the bushes, and left those with TPOs on them. The application is for those particular trees which they consider to be dead. and as Brenda says, if you consider it to be dead then prove it, and prove it they jolly well ought to really. 

“It’s no good coming along, even to a council who are just a statutory consultee, saying “believe me”. Why should we? We deserve better than that and they should give us all the information we deserve to have.”

The committee voted unanimously in favour of objecting to the proposal.