The subject of trees being cut down is one that Islanders feel very strongly about, the most recent to attract attention being a 150-year-old oak tree on land in Seaview now owned by Eton College to make way for a possible new housing development.
The latest report of planning decisions for applications to fell trees on the Isle of Wight sees permission granted for nine trees to be cut down.
A variety of applications
There are 18 applications for varying permissions, some for coppicing (cut back to ground level periodically to stimulate growth), others for pollarding (cut off the top and branches of to encourage new growth at the top) and although nine trees receiving approval in one week for felling might sound high, the Isle of Wight council says it’s not for this time of year.
IWC: Would expect more applications at this time of year
A spokesperson for Isle of Wight council explained,
“Generally we would expect more applications at this time of year, as we are outside of bird nesting season, so works can be undertaken without this restriction. We are also clearing a backlog created by lockdown, when site visits were not possible.”
Many require replacement trees
They went on to add,
“Furthermore, we have experienced some substantial storms and high winds recently which will often result in more applications. We are now displaying these decisions differently, so they may not have previously appeared.
“Where permission has been granted, many require the replanting of replacement trees.”
You can check the latest list of planning decisions via the Isle of Wight council’s planning portal.
Image: Markus Spiske under CC BY 2.0
