Telford’s Combination of Rural and Urban Areas
Hailed as one of the fastest-growing towns in all of the United Kingdom, Telford is the largest town in the county of Shropshire and has a mix of developed and natural locations. The town of Telford spans 7,800 hectares of land and contains a built-up area with an estimated 147,980 inhabitants. Despite such an urban presence, it has been listed within the top ten greenest urban centres in England.
Among the notable features that have made Telford famous is a 450-acre town park. Back in 2015, Telford Town Park was named the UK’s Best Park by the Fields in Trust, and considering the extensive parkland and woodland elements, it is easy to see why. The park also features an amphitheatre, gardens, nature trails, play areas and various sites of special scientific interest (SSSI), allowing it to boost the standard of the environment and biodiversity across the town.
Local Populations of Trees
Originally designed as a forest city, the state of the environment in Telford was boosted by the planting of more than one million trees from a variety of 150 different species. Between various parks and urban greenery, it now has an estimated 15 million trees, helped by the appropriate management of trees in place since 1998. In May 2023, the United Nations (UN) listed Telford within 168 locations – including 21 from the UK – that were titled as a Tree City of the World.
On one side of the argument, trees strengthen biodiversity and enhance the atmosphere. On the other side, however, trees can act as an obstruction in the eyes of developers who are looking to stage planning projects in the nearby area. The local councils in Telford will have a legal obligation to protect trees and be required to regulate actions that could harm individual trees and provide special protection to particularly valuable trees.
That doesn’t mean development will be strictly prohibited, but certain compromises between developers and the local authorities are needed. Existing trees under tree preservation orders (TPOs) and situated within conservation areas could be anywhere, and as such, a tree survey will be needed before any trees are impacted in any way, shape or form. Without any form of assessment on present trees, applications for planning permission will not even be considered by the local planning authority.
Evaluating Trees
In most situations, a BS5837 tree survey will be the most suitable type of inspection for supporting a development project and the accompanying planning applications. It is a British standard assessment and sees a qualified tree surveyor visiting the development site to evaluate every single tree on or adjacent to the specific plot of land. An evaluation of the trees will then be conducted by the tree consultant, giving each tree a grade based on quality and value that will determine the way forward from there.
Retention of valuable trees will always be the top priority of tree surveyors who are set to undertake tree surveys on the site, but it cannot always be possible. If trees are an unavoidable obstacle to the development plans, for instance, the arboriculturist would have to suggest relocating them elsewhere. As an absolute last resort, trees will be destroyed and compensated for with new trees, but only if they aren’t worth keeping, show little to no value, or are perceived as a potential risk to health and safety.
Following the completion of tree surveys, all of the information from the assessment will be compiled within tree reports. Recommendations for further surveys, an overview of the present trees, an explanation of the necessary next steps, and any other measures that will enable the development to move forward will be included in the tree reports, and when all conditions are met, the tree survey report itself can be passed on to the local planning authority as part of the planning application.
Book an Inspection Today
Developers, homeowners, tree owners and anyone else who could be affected by the presence of trees can reap the benefits of booking the correct tree survey. Our arboricultural consultancy specialises in tree surveys for development, and that effectively means that with our guidance, planning projects will be allowed to continue using the least intrusive of changes and applications for planning permission will be granted by the corresponding local authority.
Regardless of the level of issues on the site, our team of tree surveyors can help. Whether you are dealing with conservation areas, tree preservation orders or a stalemate involving protected trees on your development site, speak to our arboricultural consultancy, and we will know what to do. Call the number at the top of this page or visit our contact page to fill out a quote form, and you will receive a free quote in a matter of hours. A date can then be chosen to undertake tree surveys on your site, and we can assist you with securing planning consent.