Protecting natural assets

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photo of a wildflower meadow
The council’s policy is to, wherever possible, retain, preserve and protect existing healthy trees when carrying out road construction and maintenance work. This includes where new access to development is required. Many trees are lost each year due to development and so it is important that trees with significant value and potential are retained.

Planning policies and decisions should ensure that new streets are tree-lined, that opportunities are taken to incorporate trees elsewhere in developments (such as parks and community orchards), that appropriate measures are in place to secure the long-term maintenance of newly planted trees, and that existing trees are retained wherever possible (National Planning Policy Framework S131).

This guidance covers the principles and site practices for the protection of the existing natural environment (primarily relating to trees but including all green and blue infrastructure) within proposed development sites. Trees on or next to the highway can be severely damaged by construction and maintenance work to roads and footways. However, damage can be limited and, in many cases, prevented.

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