Issue - meetings

For the Planning Committee to consider an objection to the confirmation of Tree Preservation Order (TPO) 934 (156 The Drive, Rickmansworth) served on the 26th of June 2025 and whether or not the TPO should be confirmed (made permanent).

Recommendation: that the Order is confirmed, and TPO934 made permanent.

The Committee was invited to consider confirmation of Tree Preservation Order (TPO) 934 (156 The Drive, Rickmansworth).  The Principal Trees and Woodlands Officer reported that the Order had been served on 26 June 2025 in response to concerns from residents following a pre-application submission for the site.  One objection to the draft Order had been received on the grounds that (i) it mis-classified the garden land as woodland; (ii) the procedural conduct of the Local Planning Authority raised public interest concerns and (iii) the Order exhibited legal and procedural deficiencies making it incapable of lawful confirmation.  The Officer response was that the site comprised a detached dwelling surrounded by land managed as residential garden with evidence of cultivations such as mowing of lawns and maintenance of planting beds.  Beyond the cultivated area was an area of woodland which did not show any evidence of cultivation.  Officers disagreed that the Council’s procedural conduct had raised any public interest concerns and disagreed that there were any legal or procedural deficiencies which would prevent the TPO from being legally confirmed.  Since publication of the agenda the Council had received an email which expressed support for confirming the TPO.

In response to a question from a Committee Member, the Principal Trees and Woodlands Officer reported that whilst there was no legal definition of woodland, the tree cover on the site was considered to be woodland in that there was a variety of tree species of varying ages and sizes, as well as a shrub layer and a ground flora layer, and there was natural regeneration within the woodland.  Officers were therefore confident that the description of woodland was accurate.

A local resident spoke in favour of the confirmation of TPO 934.

Councillor Lloyd proposed, and Councillor King seconded, that the Order be confirmed and Tree Preservation Order 934 made permanent.  On being put to the vote this was agreed unanimously.

RESOLVED: that the Order be confirmed, and Tree Preservation Order 934 made permanent.