Plan to fell trees causes concern

The scheme, off Foldgate Lane in Ludlow, was granted outline approval on appeal in 2016, but the developer has now revealed its intention to fell 450 metres of hedgerow and trees along the A49 to improve visibility to the site entrance.

Shropshire Council planners must now decide whether the updated landscaping plans can be dealt with under the current reserved matters application. If they decide it cannot, an application to vary will have to be submitted.

Raising his concerns with the developer's agent, planning officer Grahame French said: "The indicative layout plan for the outline application shows the mature roadside trees as being retained and the inspector's decision refers to the role which these trees have in screening the site.

"Whilst landscaping and vegetation are matters to be addressed under the current reserved matters scheme, the inspector's decision on the outline appeal was based on the assumption that the roadside trees would be retained.

"The amended layout plan now indicates that all of these trees would be removed, which would represent a significant change to the landscape context of the development."

Compensation

Mr French goes on to ask why it is not possible to retain some of the trees earmarked to be felled, improving visibility by pruning them instead.

The council's tree service said it was "impossible" to support the application in light of the changes.

Tree service officer Dougald Purce said the proposed re-planting of trees at the site "does not provide sustainable compensation for the effect of the tree losses".

He also raised concerns that the proposed felling is on land outside the development boundary.

Mr Purce added: "Had we known that the proposal would result in the loss of large swathes of trees on both sides of the A49, and a reduction in height of the A49 carriageway and embankment, our comments on the outline application would have been significantly different and the planning inspector's comment conclusions might have been different."

Councillor Andy Boddington, who represents Ludlow North, said: "It won’t lead to the housing scheme being scrapped but it could delay it a while."

Local member for the development, Councillor Viv Parry, for Ludlow South, has requested this stage of the application go before the South Planning Committee.