Water Lane, Brookstones, Sydenham, Chinnor, OX39 4LY Data via plota.co.uk

P26/S3398/TCA - Works to trees in CA Approved
Trees & landscaping

Proposal

I want to remove the tree completely and plant a new tree (possibly a weeping willow) in its place. The tree, which we think is a beech, is either completely dead or 80% dead (see Photo). It has been steadily losing branches over the past 3 years. This year only about 20% of the remaining canopy came into leaf, and the foliage all died by the beginning of June. We think the problem is that the ground in that spot is particularly marshy in winter - hence our plan to replace the tree with a weeping willow, which should suit the soil conditions. The tree will be cut down and the stump either ground down or dug out completely. The location of the tree is marked with an “X” on the Sketch Plan Data via plota.co.uk

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View original council record ↗Last checked

Application progress

✓
Received
6 Aug 2026
✓
Approved
24 Aug 2026

Approved on 24 Aug 2026 · Last checked 24 Sept 2026

Documents 1

Application forms 1

PDF Application Form Application - Application Form · 6 Aug 2026 View ↗

All documents on the council site ↗

Site constraints 6

thatch half-hipped roof
Public footpath about 4 m away
Matters where it crosses or adjoins the site: obstructing a path without a diversion order is an offence, and work cannot start until the order is confirmed.
Compiled from highway authority data, not the legal definitive map. A few authorities have not published, so no path shown is not proof there is none.
Sydenham 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 3b
Not 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) agrees.
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 Expansion Zone
Where habitat is joined up enough to work as a network. Context, not a constraint on its own.
2 listed buildings within 150 m of the postcode pin
Nearest: Water Lane, Grade II, about 60 m from the postcode pin · 2 Grade II
The site itself is not listed. Listed building consent is needed for work that affects the special interest of a listed building, inside or out, on top of planning permission. Setting can be a consideration for buildings nearby; there is no fixed radius.
Show all 2 with distances
Historic England ↗
thatch half-hipped roofCouncil record
Recorded by the council for this site.
Council site ↗
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 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.

Sales history 1

Last sold for £2,350,000 in November 2023. Other property, freehold.

6 November 2023£2,350,000Recorded as a transfer outside a standard sale

Sale prices from HM Land Registry's price paid record, matched to this application by its address.

Building

Floor area252 m² (2,713 sq ft)
Energy ratingD (66 out of 100), could reach C
PropertyDetached house, 9 habitable rooms
BuiltBefore 1900
HeatingBoiler and radiators, oil
WallsTimber frame, as built, no insulation (assumed)

From the energy performance certificate lodged in August 2023, the latest held for this property, matched to this application by its address. The building may have changed since. View the certificate

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Important details

Council
South Oxfordshire
Application type
Works to trees in CA
Postcode
OX39 4LY
Received
6 Aug 2026
Validated
6 Aug 2026
Case officer
Show
Target decision
17 Sept 2026
Decision
No obj CA works
Decision date
24 Aug 2026
Applicant
Show
Agent
Show

How this decision compares

Decided in 18 days from validation, about the council's usual 18 days. 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 24 Sept 2026

Read the comments on the council site ↗

Consultation & key dates

Statutory expiry
17 Sept 2026

Historical activity at this location

2 nearby applications on record - archival context, not part of the live application.

Within ~100m

Nearby activity

2024 Approved
The Water Lane Brookstones Sydenham OX39 4LY
Erection of a greenhouse.
P24/S0615/HH
2024 Approved
The Water Lane Brookstones Sydenham OX39 4LY
Erection of a greenhouse.
P24/S0615/HH
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
Source: MHCLG planning statistics · See full council rankings

Sale prices: Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Energy performance: Energy performance certificates from the Energy Performance of Buildings Register, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright 2026.