Representation by The Woodland Trust (The Woodland Trust)
- Date submitted
- 18 July 2023
- Submitted by
- Non-statutory organisations
The Woodland Trust welcomes the opportunity to register a representation to the following project. We object to the proposed scheme due to the loss of T378, an oak tree recognised as veteran within the Arboricultural Impact Assessment (reference: APP-067). We also hold serious concerns regarding the potential impact to numerous ancient woodlands, plus an additional four veteran trees which are within the Limits of Deviation boundary. The Trust is concerned that proximity to the overhead line (OHL) will result in noise and dust pollution during construction and therefore we recommend that a buffer zone of 30 metres is implemented to all areas of ancient woodland to mitigate for these impacts. This is in line with Natural England and Forestry Commission’s standing advice which states: “the proposal should have a buffer zone of at least 15 metres from the boundary of the woodland to avoid root damage (known as the root protection area). Where assessment shows other impacts are likely to extend beyond this distance, the proposal is likely to need a larger buffer zone. For example, the effect of air pollution from development that results in a significant increase in traffic.” Furthermore, with respect to veteran trees, the Trust asks that during construction they are adequately protected in line with Natural England and the Forestry Commission’s standing advice which states: “For ancient or veteran trees (including those on the woodland boundary), the buffer zone should be at least 15 times larger than the diameter of the tree. The buffer zone should be 5 metres from the edge of the tree’s canopy if that area is larger than 15 times the tree’s diameter. This will create a minimum root protection area. Where assessment shows other impacts are likely to extend beyond this distance, the proposal is likely to need a larger buffer zone.” In summary, the Woodland Trust objects to the proposed development on the grounds of impact to ancient woods and trees. We hope our comments are of use to you.