Issue - meetings

STOCKTON-ON-TEES BOROUGH COUNCIL

CABINET DECISION

PROFORMA

Cabinet Meeting ........................................................................ 13 March 2025

Consideration was given to a report on the Tree Management Policy.

Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council (SBC) had a legal responsibility to inspect, maintain and manage its tree stock which was located across the Borough. There were many thousands of trees within parks, open spaces, woodlands and residential estates, including around 30,000 trees as part of the highway stock, for the Council to manage. During 2020- 2021, over 2,000 requests for service were received, these ranged from emergency works (e.g. fallen trees or limbs / structural damage to property) through to more routine enquiries (e.g. pruning due to general nuisance factors such as shading, leaf fall, etc., which tends to be of a seasonal nature).

Local Authorities had a legal duty of care to ensure they had a defensible system of tree inspection and maintenance for their land and premises. This required regular inspections (by a qualified person) of all trees and woodlands within a Council’s ownership, implementing essential tree maintenance (so there was no danger or unacceptable risk to persons or property), and maintaining adequate records of surveys and inspections.

Trees could, at times, be contentious for residents who often expressed strong and vocal views on their presence, especially those which were in residential locations where concerns about the safety of trees, potential damage and other perceived nuisance factors were a particular issue for officers to deal with. However, as part of the ongoing climate change challenge, the wider benefits of trees should not be underestimated, including the removal of air pollution, providing a valuable habitat for insects and birds, and acting as a natural flood defence, as well as the proven mental health benefits that a green environment brings.

Judgements about the impact of trees and whether or not a tree should be removed or reduced, was always carried out by qualified staff following relevant legislation and best practice. The determination of nuisance or detrimental impact will often appear to be a subjective matter and efforts would always be made to set out the rationale for any judgement. Where the determination was complex or necessitates consideration of wider factors, the decision would be considered by the Director in consultation with the relevant Cabinet Member.

One of the key themes within the Council Plan was clean and green spaces, and the Council’s Environmental Sustainability and Carbon Reduction Strategy 2022-2032 also had implications for the future levels of tree stock, as do new tree planting schemes and land adoptions / transfers from new developments across the Borough. It was therefore important, and timely, to review the Council’s existing tree management policy, covering inspection and operational arrangements, to ensure that it was equipped to deal with both existing and planned tree assets.

As the revised policy document covered a substantial amount of required technical information and legislative detail, and to ensure appropriate dissemination and communication, a ‘readable’ summary document would be prepared to publish key messages and principles of the policy for residents.

An all-member briefing would be arranged to ensure members were  ...  view the full minutes text for item 103