felling licence requirement and reserved planning application?

[stevelucocq]

Hello All,

 

 

Has anyone had experience of the requirement for a felling licence to clear some trees/shrub to allow for site investigation work to be carried out as required to fulfil the reserved matters for a residential planning application?

 

 

 

My client wishes to submit a reserved planning application ASAP regarding an outline planning application for residential housing. The site is an allocated site for housing.

 

 

 

My client requires to gain access into the central area of the site to carry out ground investigation work and a topographical survey which are required as part of the reserved matters planning application. They require to fell/coppice the central area (approx 0.45 hectare ) of the site which consists of mainly ash and goat willow regeneration (approx. 50-125mm diameter at 1.5 metres above ground level) which has developed since the central area of the site was maintained as a grass paddock since the late 1980’s.

 

 

 

The Council have queried the requirement of a felling licence and I am not receiving a clear answer back from (Natural Resources Wales i.e. Forestry Commission)

 

Any thoughts are gratefully received!

Many thanks

 

Steve Lucocq

[Chris at eden]

That's a bit of a conundrum alright as if you discharged the reserved matters the requirement for a felling licence would be superseded by full planning. The smaller stuff will be exempt (<80mm @1.3m) so couldn't you just get away with cutting access tracks to test and survey and then clear fell as part of planning? You could then just keep below the five cube. If you did it at the end of March and let it run over into April you could span two 1/4s and therefore remove 10 cube. As long as you are not selling it that is.

 

Cheers

[stevelucocq]

That's a bit of a conundrum alright as if you discharged the reserved matters the requirement for a felling licence would be superseded by full planning. The smaller stuff will be exempt (<80mm @1.3m) so couldn't you just get away with cutting access tracks to test and survey and then clear fell as part of planning? You could then just keep below the five cube. If you did it at the end of March and let it run over into April you could span two 1/4s and therefore remove 10 cube. As long as you are not selling it that is.

 

Cheers

 

hi chris,

 

thanks for the reply.

 

to do the topo survey clear sight line would make life easier.

 

yes you are right about the clearance work over two quarters, thanks

 

i may go back to site and work out if that is a practical solution.

 

steve 👍