Chris at eden

Nice looking website, how do you rank on google? I just entered 'tree surgeons in wivelsfield' and you dont seem to be on the first 4 pages. My website is a bit naf looking and needs updating as i did it myself but its on page 1 of google in my area. I Get most of my work through that. Work on your SEO to boost ranking. Have you tried pay per click to expand your geographical area? You set your own budget so it doesn't need to be expensive and it can boost your ratings away from your physical location. You can switch it on and off when you dont need it as well. Cheers,

Just broadleaves or at least I can't think of a conifer that would. Many conifers dont regenerate from a stump (e.g. Pine) and the ones that do such as Thuja don't have the correct branch structure. i.e. they have a single straight stem.

I think that is a fancy way of saying topping. The French are really good at pollarding in my experience so would probably be a bit offended. I admit though, when i was working on the tools years ago i always said French pollard instead of topping.

Spot on.

p.s. Sorry about the typo's!!! These are a definite no no in written reports for the record.

It depends on who is inspecting the trees and why. NTSG identifies diferent levels of responsibillity and how to discharge the duty of care. For example it is fine for a private resident to monitor his own tree through informal observations. i.e. just keeping a general eye on tree condition while cutting the lawns and then calling in a professional when required. The same document discusses the responsibillity of a rural council in section 5. It states that highway trees are inspected proactively by highways officers in the first instance and any concerns are relayed to the tree officer who has a level 3 arb qualification for a detailed inspection. I see no reason why this cant be applied across the board. If a gardener inspects a tree and cannot decide what to do he should seek professional advice and in my view this means level 3. OK it doesn't specifically say this but its about what the courts consider to be reasonable if something goes wrong. There is also a bench mark qualification in Lantra PTI for professional tree inspection. This again would be reasonable in my view. The AA reg consultants list requires that you have level 5, the ICF is level 6 i think, and CAS is level 4. These are all relevant as you could use them to make your case to the judge if you wanted to discredit someone. If the prosecution were to say this chap has a level 2 qualification and presenting himself as a professional or expert, yet all these organisations say at least level 4 for professional membership, NTSG discusses L3, plus if you wish to gain the Lantra PTI the pre-requisite is L3 arb qualification!!! It would be very difficult to argue and put up a suitable defence. There is no legal requirement but there are plenty of indicators out there to say what you should have. As someone already stated 5837 and subs investigation are at a higher level and i dont think you would get the required skills at level 3. This is based on my own experience of going through L2, L3, L4, and L6 to see what is covered at the different levels. Some may have a different experience so thats just my view. Cheers,

Good points no doubt but i suspect the question is in relation to tpo exemption in which case only the minimum applies.

Not heard the 6m one before Bob but makes sense. Cheers

2.4 over the footway and 5.2 over the carriageway as far as I know. I believe it comes from the 1980 highways act.

Sorry mate, only looked quickly so I could answer your question. Didn't notice the forestry unit was an optional. Pity you don't get the choice, the special trees unit would be interesting. Make sure you ask them about moderation via ABC. Its important and it may be something they will help with. Cheers,

No probs and good luck.

One other thing. With L6 the course is delivered over two years but you have five years to submit all the work before they make you start again. I think they all work the same so some flexibility there.

Hi, yes it does matter but if you do the ABC version not the other one they do that is accredited. I would imagine you have to contact ABC to get it externally moderated to get the ABC qualification though. One thing to check, their course only appears to teach the mandatory units, you have to pick up another 3 credits from optional units to get the ABC certificate. Download the syllabus from the ABC website for more info. They call it 'the rules of combination, not a syllabus though. If you do a none accredited course it may not give you the progression opportunities you would get with accredited. For example to go on and do level 4 in the future. The ABC qualifications are really good, I have just finished level 6 and would recommend following up as you move through your career. I did my L2 qualifications back in the late 90's and had no intention of going higher but you never know so its good to have the choice. A none accredited qualification would not give you the same employment opportunities either if you want to get into surveying and consultancy later. Hope this helps,

I don't think their courses are accredited through QCF, check before you sign up.

As Paul said, you don't need to wait nor do you need the reasons as you would not be appealing against a decision. Its strange that they have come up with reasons for refusal and then not determined the application. They may have no confidence in the decision. If you appeal for none determination the inspector will just look at it on its mertis. If the report and detail you have is as good as you say then you may be in with a chance. One concern i would have is that the arb report said that tree is fully grown and it's just not. Another one would be the comments on shading. The tree is due south of the garden so i cant see how it will not cast shade on the site at maturity which at the end of the day could easily be 20m+. If its refused by the PINS they should give you reasons as to why. There reports are usually very detailed so you could always look to see if you can address and re-submit. You never know they may approve it. If you were appealing a decision that would be different, and thats when you look at countering their argument. Doesn't look as though this will happen though as they are just sitting on it. I would go for none determination as Paul has suggested and see what happens. Otherwise you could just be waiting around forever. Cheers,

Not sure it will double in height but maybe, not easy to judge from street scene. What i would say is that its nowhere near its mature size. I will also cause shading as it is due south from the garden. Another issue will be the honeydew (sticky sap) that comes from the tree. This may make future residents want to remove it. Thes can be mitigated to an extent by regular pruning and not putting parking spaces under the tree so look at your layout and see if you can improve. I would think this is where the LPA are coming from when they say future pressure to fell. Root damage to paths is something else they may look at. You will have to optimise the layout to prevent future conflict if you haven't already. Another issue is access. How do you access the site. See link. https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=Teston+ME185AU&hl=en&ll=51.256443,0.440279&spn=0.000003,0.004007&sll=52.812723,-0.736084&sspn=1.469186,4.103394&oq=me185au&t=h&hnear=Teston+ME18+5AU,+United+Kingdom&z=19&layer=c&cbll=51.256441,0.440466&panoid=yBwr0lX0yZwRgE1SCwhWHA&cbp=12,292.72,,0,4.17 The levels are possibly a problem on the main access road in if the drive is within the RPA. The no dig drive would be on ground that is already elevated and this would make it difficult to get back down to the road level. The road around the corner looks to have better levels. I assume that the drive is on the side nearest the tree to keep the house out of the RPA? This is good on one and as you keep the foundations out of the rooting area but you would get honeydew on the parked cars. i.e. future pressure to remove. This can be mitigated, possibly by having a car port roof over the drive on piled foundations. You can put guards on your gutters to prevent them becoming blocked by leaves. You need to identify all the reasons that future residents may wish to remove the tree and mitigate these as best you can. These should already have been looked at in your impact assessment and addressed and your appeal statement should also reflect this. Ask them to clarify why they think there will be future pressure, then look at addressing if you can. You have to provide a convincing argument to counter what the council are saying at appeal. If you address and counter all their issues you have a better chance at appeal. Thats not to say you will win but you will have a better chance. There are always 2 sides. You have to be objective though, dont say that a 15m lime will not increase in size. The tree officer can easily provide evidence that this is not correct from a book or from other trees in the local area. This will not impress the inspector. Hope this helps,

try that again https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=Teston+ME185AU&hl=en&ll=51.256399,0.439982&spn=0.000003,0.004007&sll=52.84923,-2.026978&sspn=1.394966,1.521606&oq=me185au&t=h&hnear=Teston+ME18+5AU,+United+Kingdom&z=19&layer=c&cbll=51.256385,0.439795&panoid=KiiS0rtxM-lUxOkErLlTOw&cbp=12,56.26,,0,0.27

Is this the tree? http://https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=Teston+ME185AU&hl=en&ll=51.256399,0.439982&spn=0.000003,0.004007&sll=52.84923,-2.026978&sspn=1.394966,1.521606&oq=me185au&t=h&hnear=Teston+ME18+5AU,+United+Kingdom&z=19&layer=c&cbll=51.256385,0.439795&panoid=KiiS0rtxM-lUxOkErLlTOw&cbp=12,56.26,,0,0.27

I personally think your best route is still appeal based on a good tree report (AIA). The council can't say you have hit a brick wall either as the final decision is not theirs to make. The planning inspectorate (or secetary of state in extreme cases) will always have the final say if you push it. Remember though the inspector can only consider based on the quality of your report and appeal statement. Saying that a 15m lime (thats how big it looks to me) will not increase in size is not a good start. The tree report should be objective and if there are issues they should be identified and mitigated, not denied. The tree officer will spot them and so will the PINS inspector. Unfortunatley this is how a lot of reports come into the council. Biased tree reports dont get you far with the PINS either. What is the stem diameter of the tree? Can you put an aerial photo up from google to identify the orientation? What is the branch spread in the direction of the build? How far will the building be from the tree and where will the driveways be?

Ideally you need the owners contact details also as the LPA should consult with them and consider their comments when making a decision. As the owner appears to be the council, this may be another issue to overcome. Additional to the criminal damage you can also get done for theft or conversion depending on how you deal with the arisings. You dont always need the owners consent to do the works, but you will always need to agree on how to deal with the arisings. Good point made by Paul.

I agree. I sent 10 years working as a tree officer, 5 looking after council trees and 5 in a planning dept. In my experience MP's always get involved with refusals to carry out works to council tree stock, but rarely for planning issues. The planning inspectorate is there to do that and they are also the government, plus MP's cant supersede legislation but they can to an extent council policy. Same goes for councillors. Get a quallity tree report and go to appeal if you need to.

They will just refuse the consent if the works are bad practice or you can't demonstrate a need for the works. It wouldn't affect the planning app either, 9 times out of 10 the RPA is the constraint, not the canopy spread. You would be better off appealing the planning refusal if you think you have a case.

I read somewhere that this is about to become a legal requirement in oz? something to do with an incident at a school?

This again comes back to qualifications. You wont get PI without appropriate quals. Its one of the issues they really probe about when you get a quote. Especially if you are doing mortgage reports.

I think Aesculin may be the scientific name for smurf juice!