Question

As part of Wokingham’s planning process, statutory conditions are placed on approved development to plant trees and the usual intention of the condition is that should any trees that did not survive within, I believe 5 years must be replaced. Wokingham BC Planning Department will have a full record of the numbers of trees approved by planning conditions.

Professional experts indicate that 25% of new trees planted die and those that survive need attention.  As monitoring conditions is a statutory function, I assume the Planning Department have a record of how many of the new planted trees by condition did not survive.

My question is; can the Council provide a complete written record of how many new trees approved by planning conditions over the past 5 years that have not survived and have they all been replaced?

Question

As part of Wokingham’s planning process, statutory conditions are placed on approved development to plant trees and the usual intention of the condition is that should any trees that did not survive within, I believe five years must be replaced. Wokingham BC Planning Department will have a full record of the numbers of trees approved by planning conditions.

Professional experts indicate that 25% of new trees planted die and those that survive need attention.  As monitoring conditions is a statutory function, I assume the Planning Department have a record of how many of the new planted trees by condition did not survive.

My question is; can the Council provide a complete written record of how many new trees approved by planning conditions over the past five years that have not survived and have they all been replaced?

Answer

Planning enforcement is entirely a discretionary activity for local government. However, the Council’s Compliance Team Officers and the landscape architects do carry out regular landscape audits of new developments to check the survival of the newly planted trees. Those that have not survived are referred to the developers whose responsibility it is to replace any failed trees as you indicate, and we will follow up on that request to ensure replacement planting is carried out. 

The landscape audits are a useful activity to identify trees on new developments that require replacing.  However, Officers are always grateful to the public where they can report any dead or dying trees that they notice, so that we can then report those back to the developer for replacement.  Officers also work very closely with the Wokingham District Veteran Tree Association volunteers who are extremely helpful in reporting problems with trees on new developments.  Whilst we do not maintain a record of the number of trees concerned the compliance activity is a discretionary activity which we recognise as extremely important from a placemaking and ecological perspective.   

I hope that helps?

Supplementary Question

Not really. If the experts say 25% are lost, then we should have records that 25% have been replaced.

Research does show that hundreds of imposed planning conditions are not followed up which undermines the Planning Committee’s best intentions and although it may not be a statutory role would the Executive Member agree with me that Wokingham Borough Council’s Planning Department has serious problems in following up on conditions? 

What I would ask is that the excellent work akin to that commissioned by Councillor John Kaiser on enforcement, which was a big success some years ago, could a similar one now not be carried out on the Planning Department?

Supplementary Answer

Gary, I do not agree with you because when I first took over the Executive role I increased the number of Enforcement Officers.  I am also doing the same in Fran Hopson’s area and I have brought an extra revenue bid forward for more staff.  So, I think that is absolutely rubbish and I am absolutely committed to Planning and if you have got any examples, please let me have them and I will get the Compliance Team round to have a look.