There were discussion about tree felling at the HOPRA AGM last night. Here is a link the source of some of the information I referred to in those discussions:
http://brockleycentral.blogspot.com/2008...peace.html
This article specifically relates to the cutting down if a mature tree in Brockley due, in part, to installation of CCTV which is being blocked by the tree. It is the background later in the article which is of general interest. To quote the relevant section:
During the course of the meeting we heard some interesting background from the tree officers which I think sheds new light on this and other tree-related planning applications. Basically, Sean MacBride and Rick Farr have only been working for Lewisham Council for 18 months to 2 years; since they started they've been tackling a backlog of tree maintenance issues. This includes diseased and structurally unstable trees. Perhaps it's therefore unsurprising that we're seeing an increasing number of planning applications relating to trees as they sort out this situation.
The tree officers want to reach a point at which they can focus on pruning and maintenance rather than removal, but there's some work to be done before they get there. They are currently surveying all the trees in the borough and working out what action to take with those that need attention.
They have emphasised to us that they would really like to have a clear policy of one-for-one replacement, but the cost of new trees comes out of their budget, which is currently primarily taken up with dealing with the backlog of 'problem' trees. Affordability, rather than intention, is a real barrier for them.
The post also notes that replacement trees in Brockley are being funded out of the Localities money. To quote again:
The tree officers have promised to plant three trees on Tressillian Road to compensate for this one, one of which will be funded by the CCTV manager as a direct replacement. The other two are part of the Localities Fund allocation, an issue we've covered in previous posts.
I personally think it is undesirable that the Localities Fund is being used to pay for tree replacement which should already be funded directly out of taxation.
All of this sheds an interesting perspective on the topic of tree removal and replacement in the HOPRA area.
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