Protected Trees - Ignore At Great Cost!

On 16 October 2019 a developer was fined £300,000 after deliberately removing a 176 year-old giant redwood tree, in addition to 69 other protected trees, in Swansea and on 31 December 2019 an owner in Chelmsford was fined £61,000 for damaging a tree in a conservation area after consent to carry out the works was refused.

The level of these fines evidences the importance of protecting trees and woodland in England and the severe punishment which can be imposed by the Courts in the event of a breach of the rules. This article considers the ways in which trees can be protected by a local planning authority and the consents which may be required before works may be carried out to any protected tree.