Decision details

The Head of Law introduced the report which proposed a procedure for dealing with objections to Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs).

During debate, several points were noted:

·         Planning permission overrides a TPO

·         The Authority’s tree officers do charge for their time

·         The procedure for visiting a site differs from the current procedure for planning application site visits.

Members suggested amendments to the wording of the proposed procedure to ensure consistency of procedure as follows:

Paragraph (1) delete the words ‘included with the officer report’ and replace with ‘reported to committee’.

This amendment was suggested so that the procedure reflected what happened in relation to late representation in planning applications.

Paragraph (2) Delete all sentences after the first sentence and replace with:

‘Site visits are:

·         fact finding exercises

·         to enable officers to point out relevant features

·         to enable Members’ questions of fact to be asked on site for clarification:

·         not part of the formal consideration of the matter and therefore public rights of attendance do not apply

Discussion on the matter will only take place at the subsequent committee meeting as all relevant parties may not be in attendance on site.

This amendment was so that the site visit process followed that set out in the approved Protocol on Planning Development & Planning Policy.

Paragraph (3) – no changes.

RESOLVED:

That the procedure as set out in Appendix 1 of the report be APPROVED, subject to the following amendments:

Paragraph (1) delete the words ‘included with the officer report’ and replace with ‘reported to committee’.

Paragraph (2) Delete all sentences after the first sentence and replace with:

‘Site visits are:

·         fact finding exercises

·         to enable officers to point out relevant features

·         to enable Members’ questions of fact to be asked on site for clarification:

·         not part of the formal consideration of the matter and therefore public rights of attendance do not apply

Discussion on the matter will only take place at the subsequent committee meeting as all relevant parties may not be in attendance on site.

Paragraph (3) – no changes.