Preserving Buckingham’s treescape in town’s Year of the Tree

During Buckingham Town Council’s Year of the Tree, the town council’s planning committee has played a part in saving a number of trees.

Applications to fell or work on trees with preservation orders (TPOs) or in the Conservation Area are made to the local planning authority, Bucks Council, then circulated to town councillors and volunteer Buckingham tree wardens for comment.

The committee is particular interested in applications to fell or reduce trees that are prominent in the townscape. Over the years, it says, it has noticed a disturbingly high number of applications being approved for trees to be felled, even when there was no straightforward justification for doing so.

The committee recently intervened to prevent the lopping of 2-3m off a group of cypress trees on Wagland’s Garden, and the felling of a white fir on London Road, all of which had TPOs in place. Bucks Council agreed that the trees were important in the landscape and the applicants had provided insufficient evidence of need.

The cypress trees form part of a long line of protected trees that were preserved when the garden was built over, while the white fir was planted when the Sainsbury’s building, which it backs on to, was still a cinema.

The current Buckingham Neighbourhood Development Plan includes policies to protect existing trees and the provision of trees in developments, and to maintain and increase the green infrastructure and biodiversity of Buckingham.

Mark Cole, chair of Buckingham Town Council’s planning committee said: “After the loss of prominent and healthy mature trees, notably on Page Hill, which we fought to preserve, we are starting to see that the tide has turned.

"Too often, we are told that insurance companies insist that they be felled to avoid damage to the buildings they insure, even when they and their roots are some distance away.

"This is Buckingham’s Year of the Tree, and we are working with our volunteer tree wardens to preserve the treescape and to encourage the planting of more, to make our beautiful green town even greener.”