St Marys Church, West Dean, SP5 1JQ Data via plota.co.uk

PL/2026/04737 - Notification of proposed works to trees in a conservation area Approved

Proposal

1 - Hawthorn tree - crown raise to provide headroom for new path 2 - 3 x dead tree trunks - remove and fell saplings (Elm, Holm Oak and Hazel) to clear route for new path 3 - Hedge of Sycamore, Yew and Laurel - cut back to original root line 4 - unspecified dead tree - remove tree roots 5 and 6 - 2 x dead tree stumps - remove 7 - Beech tree - crown raise to provide headroom for new path 8 - tree stump - remove 9 - Hedge of Blackthorn, Sycamore and Yew - cut back to original root line 10 - 3 x Laurel trees - fell 11 - Sycamore tree - crown raise to provide headroom for new path 12 - Hedge and saplings (Elm, Holm Oak and Hazel) - remove to clear route of path… Data via plota.co.uk

View original council record ↗Last checked

Application progress

Received
27 Jul 2026
Approved
7 Sept 2026

Approved on 7 Sept 2026 · Last checked 12 Sept 2026

Site constraints 5

Nutrient neutrality catchment: Solent: Includes Chichester and Langstone Harbours SPA/Ramsar, Solent and Southampton Water SPA/Ramsar, Solent Maritime SAC, Portsmouth Harbour SPA/Ramsar
New homes and overnight accommodation must show nutrient neutrality before approval.
Natural England advice: extra wastewater in these catchments harms protected habitats, so schemes must offset their nutrient load, usually through credits.
West Dean 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.
Council document ↗
Habitat network: Network Enhancement Zone 2
Where habitat is joined up enough to work as a network. Context, not a constraint on its own.
Also on the record
Inside the West Dean (Test Valley) built-up area; the 1970s provisional farmland map had this area as grade 4, but it predates the buildings here and the current map does not class it as farmland.
Not affected
Outside flood zones 2 and 3 · Not green belt · No scheduled monument at the site

Checked on 11 September 2026. Historic England, the Environment Agency, Natural England 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

Council
Wiltshire
Application type
Notification of proposed works to trees in a conservation area
Postcode
SP5 1JQ
Received
27 Jul 2026
Validated
27 Jul 2026
Ward
Alderbury & Whiteparish ED
Parish
West Dean CP
Case officer
Show
Target decision
7 Sept 2026
Decision
No Objection
Decision date
7 Sept 2026

How this decision compares

Decided in 42 days from validation, 4 days slower than Wiltshire's median of 38 for tree and landscaping works. Approved, as 99% of tree and landscaping works here are.

95%decided within 8 weeks
99%approved
952decided in the last year

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

Public comments

1comment received
1 supporting

Last counted 12 Sept 2026

Read the comments on the council site ↗

Consultation & key dates

Comments by
19 Aug 2026
Wiltshire
Planning Authority Score
3.9/10
Below average
#203 of 296 councils
Relevant to this application:
Other decisions

Wiltshire is slower than most councils at deciding householder applications, ranking #225 out of 296. The council extends the time limit on 55% of applications - one of the highest rates in England. Expect your application to take longer than the standard deadline. Householder applications are slightly more likely to be approved here (96%) than the national average (90%).

Frequently extends decision deadlines
expect longer than the statutory limit
These figures are council-wide context, not a prediction for this application. View full council performance
Wiltshire decision statistics
Based on MHCLG data, the year to March 2026
93%
Overall approval rate
Above avg (87%) #71 of 296
96%
Householder approved
Above avg (90%) #65 of 296
53%
Decided in 8 weeks
Below avg (63%) #225 of 296
55%
Extended time limit
Above avg (41%) #252 of 296
78%
Minor dwellings approved
339 decided (1-9 homes)
90%
Major dwellings approved
48 decided (10+ homes)
92%
Change of use approved
160 decided
3,659
Total decisions
256 refused in the year to March 2026