Gary Prentice

Why is it different to your normal crown reductions?

Exactly. As I'm sure that the LA can determine after a ND appeal is initiated, there's no encouragement for the LA to be efficient. The appeal process just allows them a lot longer to determine. The only downside I can see, for the LA, is that it spoils their statistics.

I'm pretty certain that, in England, a LA can determine after an appeal for non-determination is started and once they have, the appeal stops. Then there is the usual option to appeal the decision or conditions as a new, separate, appeal. I haven't submitted to PINs for a couple of years but they've never been that long.

Sorry Eggs but I have no sympathy at all. Kids are streetwise at a frighteningly early age nowadays and are aware of the risks of drugs, both to their health and about the people who deal in them. I think I would have been more scared of telling either my mother or an employer that I was using drugs than anything else.

Have you any knowledge of any of the bigger arb employers drug testing stuff? And if so, how did it work out in both finding staff and staff turnover?

I have my own chequered history of substances and I'm a bit on the fence between personal freedoms and what's wise or for the best. And I don't know where we're going to end up, looking at the legislation that's going on in the states. One point of view is mandatory drug testing as is already happening on some construction sites. An arb company could probably decide, as policy, that they didn't employ users and test/fire abusers. Don't know how that would go down

If they can support a habit they can afford to buy their own bike.

Tbh most of the people I know, through work, are users but as I said in my last post, keep it away from work. I've sent lads home on a number of occasions when I thought they were unfit. It's all you can do. IME alcohol has been a bigger issue. If someone has a smoke of a night, within bounds they're not effected the following day but if they've been a bender! I did had a stand up row with my employer in the yard cos he was still p'ed up from the night before. The ultimatum was he went home or I did. I simply wouldn't work with him while he was under the influence.

How about giving him this thread to read? It would show that your attitude to these issues isn't a personal thing but are pretty much common to his and your peers. I'd be unhappy if an employee was skinning up outside my house,particularly if I was having neighbour issues. In the end your job is to make a success of your business and continue to provide employment for your staff. That's where your focus lies. If lads are hindering that you've got a problem. From your post I can't determine how much of the attention span issues are drug related but I'd have concerns. I don't care what people do in their private lives but when it impacts on the working day it has to be sorted - tree work can be risky enough without adding substance abuse. Forget about insurance issues and the affects to your business if something bad happened, but think how you'd feel if someone got hurt due to his actions.

Easy done, going to the wrong park entirely.

After getting a quote from my LA for a temporary parking restriction (4 hrs), just advertising it/putting notices on lamp posts with us putting cones out, I certainly wouldn't consider doing anything that I didn't legally have to. I don't know exactly what's involved but I'd imagine; Advert in local paper - time @2hrs Notices on a dozen lamp-posts - Max time to print & put up - 4Hrs We were quoted over a thousand quid IIRC

You what! How much do you charge for that? where in the T&CPA does it oblige the applicant or agent to publicise an application? I know what my answer would be. "they have moved the goal posts." Only if you let them.

Why does it take 11 weeks to decide if we can sensitively reduce a tree or not... ? Understaffed/under-financed/Inefficient/they just don't like you? Have you proof of the date that they received it? I've had this before. I emailed them enclosing their own auto response email and just said I didn't accept their registration date. They promptly changed it. I've had issues with a couple of LA's. Just persevere as much as possible when things aren't getting done properly and keep a record of everything. I ended up complaining about the planning department to the councils CEO. Shortly afterwards a assistant TO took over the planning role for applications and it's 100% better. You've an option, as long as you've proof of delivery, to simply appeal for non-determination after eight weeks. I know it's a nuisance and will probably delay a decision even longer, but if they're mucking around and you eventually take it further unnecessary/ND appeals will prove your point.

Get very pro-active with the Tree Officer for a start. This will create a lot of work for him/her, so try to take the reins by putting forward a good mitigation plan for the LA's agreement. Start with a method statement to remove the impermeable new layer that isn't going to create more compaction. There's a section in BS5837 on removing hard surfaces in the RPA for guidance. Once that's sorted the level of compaction and root damage/severance will need to be assessed. A soil compaction tester like the Dickie-john would be useful. Just take it one step at a time and don't do anything without the agreement of the LA.

Early leaf loss is just a survival mechanism in some species in drought conditions. I think Beech is one of the species where it's predicted that their range will change if the results of climate change is as predicted. Give it chance to recover and mulch it if you can.

Cavat is the method mos commonly used in he circumstances you describe , as well as used by LAs in TPO contraventions where trees have been removed. I-tree is more as a aid or tool used in planning and strategy for green infrastructure.

Bishop has to move forward diagonally!

Does that mean that they would be unable to prosecute contraventions of pre-1996 TPO's?

It's anybodies guess as to what would be required to repair/rebuild the wall until it's demolished and the foundation revealed. Taking into account the cost of tree, and possibly sump, removal there may not be that much difference in retaining the tree and using a suitable engineering solution to account for future growth - which as the tree is fairly mature isn't likely to be that great.

Trees provide many ecosystem benefits: air pollution removal , current carbon storage, carbon sequestration, stormwater reduction etc. These can be assigned monetry values, with mature large trees providing the highest benefits. They also provide less tangible social benefits such as 'well-being', reduced crime levels, connectiveness to nature etc here's so much information and research into he positives of trees/green infrastructure that I don't know where to start. Have a search of i-tree to start with

No way you'd get highways to pay to build it!

Are you researching for a college question or for a real tree? If it's for a real-life tree, have you considered a woodchip mulch using cherry or hawthorn? Both of these species are sugar rich/high and, I believe, achieve the same ends but over a much longer period of time.

If you're throwing environmental costs into the equation, then to get a true cost/benefit analysis you need to include all the social/economic/enviromental benefits that a mature tree in an urban setting provides.

Try searching using 'Glyn Percival' as a keyword. You may struggle a bit because IIRC sugar solutions aren't a one size fits all type of thing. You may have to be tree specific in your search to get the information that you're after.