16 COPPICE GARDENS, CROWTHORNE, RG45 6EE

Description

Proposal TPO 8 - to remove the weeping willow in the front garden of 16 Coppice Gardens and replace it with a cut-leaf alder (containerised standard 1.5-2m tall), planted nearby in the front garden. Reasons 1. The tree is causing conflict to the residents of 16 and 18 Coppice Gardens with regards to its roots breaking through the driveways and, being a large growing and very broad shaped tree, it is rather over-dominant and blocking direct sunlight to the windows on southern aspect of both houses. 2. It appears that the TPO is a very old Area order that has become somewhat outdated. The tree is estimated at being around 60 years old and may or may not have been present at the time the TPO was served. Government Guidance states: - The area category is intended for short-term protection in an emergency and may not be capable of providing appropriate long-term protection. The Order will protect only those trees standing at the time it was made, so it may over time become difficult to be certain which trees are protected. 3. The surrounding locality has a high level of tree cover and there are numerous more prominent trees and wooded groups in the wider landscape, especially the line of mature Scots pines to the north, which can be clearly seen when viewed from Coppice Gardens. The overall loss of amenity will therefore be minimal and can be adequately mitigated by suitable replacement planting to ensure canopy succession going forward into the next 40+ years. 4. Consent was granted for “re-pollarding” back in 2020 and, if the tree must remain, it will need to be pruned on a regular basis and in a similar fashion to reduce dominance, shading and obstruction to passing vehicles. This will in turn require repeated applications and administration, which could be avoided if the tree was removed and replaced with a suitable alternative species. 5. The replacement tree can be planted further into the grass area, equidistant from the two driveways, to reduce the risk of roots lifting the driveway surfacing in the future. It will also be much less likely to cause problems with lifting of surrounding hard landscaping, since willows are well-known for their shallow and problematic roots systems in the built environment and alders are more deep-rooted. 6. A pre-application telephone discussion with the Council’s tree officer was helpful, constructive and centred around the factors and reasoning given in this report.