Britwell House, Britwell Salome, Watlington, OX49 5LJ Data via plota.co.uk

P26/S4319/TCA - Works to trees in CA Approved

Proposal

T1 Ash - Selectively reduce the overextended subdominant limb displaying a wound and suspected Inonotus fruiting body by up to 4.5 metres to reduce end weight and loading on the compromised limb, thereby reducing the likelihood of failure. G2 Elm & Mulbery - Fell both trees to ground level, as both are in a terminal state of decline and are no longer considered suitable for continued retention. T3 Sycamore - Reduce the lowest, most overextended limb by up to 2.5 metres, pruning back into the natural crown line. The objective of these works is to reduce the lever-arm effect and associated loading on the stem, while helping to improve the overall balance of the tree in relation to its existing lean. G6 Heavily Ivy clad trees x2 - Fell both trees to ground level, as both are in a terminal state of decline and are no longer considered suitable for continued retention. T7 Poplar - Fell the tree to ground level, as the tree is windblown and currently suspended within an adjacent tree. T8 Goat Willow - Fell the tree to ground level, as the tree is windblown and currently suspended within an adjacent tree. T9 Silver birch - Fell the tree to ground level, as the tree has declined and is now standing dead. T11 Ash - Remove the low, partially failed limb back to the main stem. G12 - Holly x3 and Dead Birch - Fell both trees to ground level, as all are in a terminal state of decline and are no longer considered suitable for continued retention. T13 Elm - Fell both trees to ground level, as tree is in a terminal state of decline and is no longer considered suitable for continued retention. T15 Scots Pine - Fell both trees to ground level, as tree is in a terminal state of decline and is no longer considered suitable for continued retention. G16 Larch x2 - Taller of the Two Trees – Fell – Fell the tree to ground level, due to extensive suspected hollowing at the base, indicated by sounding with a mallet during inspection. Smaller Tree – Deadwood Removal – Remove deadwood oversailing the field entrances to maintain suitable clearance and reduce the likelihood of branch failure. T17 Ash - Fell to ground level, due to extensive suspected hollowing at the base, indicated by sounding with a mallet and prob during inspection. T18 Ash - Height Reduction / Retrenchment – Reduce the height of the tree to just above the point of the previously failed limb, at approximately 8 metres above ground level. The objective of these works is to retrench the tree into a shorter, more compact form, reducing overall loading and making it more suitable for future retention. Data via plota.co.uk

View original council record ↗Last checked

Application progress

✓
Received
25 Sept 2026
✓
Approved
1 Oct 2026

Approved on 1 Oct 2026 · Last checked 6 Oct 2026

Site constraints 7

Ancient woodland
Chilterns National Landscape
Great weight to conserving the landscape; major development restricted.
Previously an area of outstanding natural beauty, which is still the designation in law. Since 2023 authorities must seek to further its purpose, not merely have regard to it.
Britwell Salome Conservation Area conservation area
Demolition needs planning permission and permitted development is restricted.
The council must give weight to preserving or enhancing the area's character and appearance. Not every council has published its boundaries as open data.
Agricultural land, grade 3a
Best and most versatile land (grades 1, 2 and 3a). Source: the Predictive Agricultural Land Classification Map (Defra and Natural England, 2025; the Welsh Government's Predictive ALC Map 2 in Wales), a model rather than a site survey. Natural England's Provisional ALC map (1:250,000, 1970s), which most planning maps still show, had this area as grade 2. The predicted grade is Defra's current estimate; only a site survey settles it.
Where development of farmland is needed, policy prefers poorer land over the best and most versatile (grades 1, 2 and 3a). Three sources: Natural England's post-1988 field surveys, which are definitive where they exist; the Defra predictive map for England (2025) and the Welsh Government predictive map, modelled from the soil map with 3a and 3b split; and the 1970s provisional map, which planners and other services still show, coarser and with grade 3 undivided. Where the provisional and predicted grades disagree, treat the predicted grade as the current estimate and expect an application to carry its own survey.
Habitat network: Network Enhancement Zone 1
Where habitat is joined up enough to work as a network. Context, not a constraint on its own.
Ancient woodlandCouncil record
Recorded by the council for this site.
Council site ↗
Also on the record
Radon affected area, class 2; 4 listed buildings within 150 m of the postcode pin.
Not affected
Outside flood zones 2 and 3 · Not green belt · No scheduled monument at the site

Checked on 6 October 2026. The pin for this application is the centre of its postcode rather than the building, so distances to nearby designations are measured from the postcode and can be out by the width of the postcode area. Historic England, the Environment Agency, Natural England, the British Geological Survey and UK Health Security Agency (radon, contains BGS materials © UKRI) and council datasets, Open Government Licence. A boundary can run through a site and the council holds the definitive record: confirm with the council before relying on this.

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Important details

Application type
Works to trees in CA
Postcode
OX49 5LJ
Received
25 Sept 2026
Validated
25 Sept 2026
Case officer
Show
Target decision
6 Nov 2026
Decision
No obj CA works
Decision date
1 Oct 2026
Applicant
Show
Agent
4 Seasons Tree Care Ltd

How this decision compares

Decided in 6 days from validation, 12 days faster than South Oxfordshire's median of 18 for tree and landscaping works. Approved, as 99% of tree and landscaping works here are.

99%decided within 8 weeks
99%approved
519decided in the last year

Plota live figures for tree and landscaping works decided by South Oxfordshire in the last twelve months, from validation. South Oxfordshire decision record →

Public comments

No public comments yet.

Last counted 6 Oct 2026

Read the comments on the council site ↗

Consultation & key dates

Statutory expiry
6 Nov 2026
South Oxfordshire
Planning Authority Score
7.6/10
Good
#39 of 296 councils
Relevant to this application:
Householder decisions

South Oxfordshire is faster than most councils at deciding householder applications, ranking #89 out of 296. Householder applications are more likely to be approved here than most councils, with a 98% approval rate vs 90% nationally.

More permissive than most councils
98% approved vs 90% nationally
These figures are council-wide context, not a prediction for this application. View full council performance
South Oxfordshire decision statistics
Based on MHCLG data, the year to March 2026
94%
Overall approval rate
Above avg (87%) #47 of 296
98%
Householder approved
Above avg (90%) #23 of 296
74%
Decided in 8 weeks
Above avg (63%) #89 of 296
35%
Extended time limit
Below avg (41%) #105 of 296
83%
Minor dwellings approved
163 decided (1-9 homes)
56%
Major dwellings approved
27 decided (10+ homes)
92%
Change of use approved
26 decided
1,529
Total decisions
96 refused in the year to March 2026