Local MP Maria Miller has called on the Government to change the law as part of its’ Environment Bill to make it possible for local authorities to take into account a landowner’s previous convictions for illegal tree felling when considering planning applications for an affected area of land.
Maria said, “There are welcome changes in the Government’s Environment Bill strengthening the enforcement powers of the Forestry Commission so tree restocking orders can be reissued when trees are illegally felled and landowners ignore resulting court orders. But these changes need to go even further to make landowners think again before they risk illegally felling trees on their land. My amendment would mean planning authorities could take into account illegal tree felling in any planning application made for that site. This would go further in stopping land owners from benefiting financially from unlawful tree felling.
“Residents in Sherfield Park are only too aware of the way landowners can flout the law. More than 500 trees were unlawfully felled in June 2014 on land at Dixon Road. The owners were found guilty in court, failed to fully comply with the resulting Restocking Notice, failed to comply with the Enforcement Order and then despite all of that applied for planning consent where their illegal behaviour could not be considered by the planning committee members and the application was allowed on appeal. In this case the landowners have gone on to promote the site, originally an environmental buffer zone, for house building in the local authority's SHELAA for housing development.
I and many residents feel it is inherently wrong that landowners should be able to profit financially following illegal activity. Whilst it is not possible to change things in Dixon Road the change in the law I am proposing would help deter this type of behaviour in the future.”
Maria has tabled an amendment to the Environment Bill 2019-21 for Report Stage on Tuesday 26 January. Further information is available at https://services.parliament.uk/Bills/2019-21/environment/documents.html