Liquidambar

The permission was for a 60 -bed residential care home and close care houses - the council landscape team OKd removal of 35 trees and 27 groups of trees before discharge of all pre-commencement conditions as "site clearance" - council planning enforcement says the clear felling isn't commencement of development. The new owner now wants to build just ordinary houses -says they cleared the site of trees so they could do a better topographical survey. We feel conned out of trees and care home.

Thanks - will bluebells survive it?

I live next door to a woodland site in a conservation area with planning permission for a residential development subject to about a dozen pre-commencement conditions- the owner has started removing trees approved for removal under the planning permission but before discharging the pre-commencement conditions - is removing trees approved for removal by a planning permission but before discharging pre-commencement regarded as commencement of development?