Council warns over trees cut down for developments

Developers and landowners could face "serious financial and legal consequences" for cutting down trees on sites being considered for new homes, a Surrey council has warned.

Environmental laws, which mean builders must compensate for the loss of any nature on housing developments, came into force last year.

Tandridge District Council (TDC) said there had been a number of recent incidents where trees were felled to clear areas for planning applications.

A spokesperson for the Home Builders Federation said it can be "necessary to remove trees to allow a development to take place."

The Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) requirements mean that sites now have to be assessed before bulldozers can enter and developers have to commit to delivering a 10% net improvement in biodiversity that lasts over a 30-year period.

The leader of TDC, Catherine Sayer, said: "We have had incidents where 300 year-old oak trees have been cut down because they are in the way of development.

"In one instance, the developer withdrew the planning application when they realised the cost of replacing the lost biodiversity would be tens of thousands of pounds."

Sayer said the council wanted to raise awareness that this "environmental vandalism has serious financial and legal consequences and [we] hope it acts as a deterrent".

Resident Terry Morgan, who lives near land where a tree was cut down ahead of a development taking place, told BBC Radio Surrey he was "angry."

"It's not a single tree, it is part of a long line of trees marking ancient boundaries, home to wildlife and so on," he said.

"To simply, for convenience, cut that tree down rather than make a planning application which is more appropriate to the site - that's the key thing I'm angry and annoyed about."

The developer has been approached for comment.

Sayer said she thought it was a "great shame" that ministers were looking at changing environmental rules to make it easier to build homes on smaller sites.

Last week, Housing Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said the changes would "simplify" the planning process.

She denied environmental protections were being compromised.

A spokesperson for the Homebuilders Federation said: "Clearly in some instances it is necessary to remove trees to allow a development to take place.

"In those cases developers are required to abide by all the relevant rules and regulations in place."

Separately, TDC said it was investigating the felling of woodland on land near Lingfield a few weeks ago as alleged criminal activity.

Follow BBC Surrey on Facebook, and on X. Send your story ideas to [email protected] or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.