I’m very pleased that it looks like the petition calling for a review of the antiquated Tree Preservation Order (TPO) covering parts of Wellington Park in St Paul’s ward appears to finally to be moving towards a positive outcome.
Last December, I and a number of local residents launched a petition calling for a review of this TPO, which was designed for woodland but now covers a residential estate.
This was triggered by concerns around the safety of poorly maintained trees and the many trees and other plants within the protected area which, frankly, do not merit the high level of protection they benefit from. In addition many residents have been frustrated by the excessive number of hoops they needed to jump through to maintain trees on their own land.
The Council appears to have now committed (subject to approval by its Executive) to employ a new Tree Protection Officer to carry out a review of trees across our borough, with the trees subject to the Wellington Park TPO being reviewed first.
It has taken along time to get this far but it looks like the funding for this is finally in place. I will continue to push for the review to take place as soon as possible so that we can see tangible outcomes and more effective maintenance of trees on Wellington Park.
You can read further details on the Council's plans here.
- Cllr Jonny Cope, Surrey Heath Borough Councillor for St. Paul's Ward
