Response 3566154

Response to request for information

Reference

3566154

Response date

26 September 2024

Request

I am writing to request the following information regarding Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs) within your jurisdiction:

1. The number of trees currently registered with Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs).

2. The number of applications received from insurance companies to fell trees with TPOs, within the following timescales:
   • 2024 to date
   • January 2019 – December 2023
   • January 2014 – December 2018

3. The number of successful applications from insurance companies to fell trees with TPOs, within the following timescales:
   • 2024 to date
   • January 2019 – December 2023
   • January 2014 – December 2018

Response

1. The Council currently has 352 Tree Preservation Orders, but it is not possible to determine the exact number of trees which are protected as some will protect 1 or more individual trees, whilst others will protect areas, groups and woodlands.
2. This question is beyond our ability to answer at the current time. There is no automated way we could interrogate our data to determine the answer, we would have to go through each of the 651 TPO applications received since 2014 to determine whether they relate to an insurance claim and whether they were submitted by an insurance company or one of the many agents, civil engineers or arborists they use to investigate and facilitate such claims. This would be a lengthy piece of work and would exceed the cost of compliance and we would have to charge a fee to cover the time.
3. The point made in relation to question 2 applies again. In general terms we regularly get conservation area tree notices to fell trees due to insurance claims but the actual number in relation to TPO’d trees will be very low. In most cases, if the Council believes that the application makes a convincing justification that the tree is the cause of damage with appropriate evidence we will allow its removal.