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I've had a number of people come to me wanting help getting the right to fell trees in their gardens and so on. One in particular I remember very clearly, involved an elderly couple in a bungalow with a sycamore that was massive and dropping slippyshit al over their path. They were talking about possibly selling up[ and moving if the tree wasn't removed.
They were refused the right to fell the tree. It was there before thgeir bungalow. It was subject to a TPO (tree preservation order). They appealed the decision of the planning committee and lost the appeal.
At the same time I know of several large scale developments who've had to go back to the drawing board and come up with new designs in order to work around the clumps of trees on their site that are protected.
I also know of occasions when permission has been given to fell trees. In one instance the positioning of trees on the site made any serious use of the site very difficult. With the trees left as they were only 10 houses could have been built on the site. Without the trees there could be up to 15 dwellings. The applicant made a good case for the development not being viable with fewer than 15 dwellings, particularly as the houses in quesytion were so-called 'affordable housing' which we as a borough are desperately short of.
They were allowed to chop down some of the trees, on the understandimng they would plant new trees in other, less awkward parts of the site.
I also know of one in which a family with a severely disabled adult daughter wanted to fell a protected tree in order to build a separate little bungalow in their garden for their girl. We gave permission for that one, though it was a close call.
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