Newark and Sherwood District Council makes stand against unauthorised tree felling on Appletongate as three parties are hit with £10,000 fine

Three individual parties have been ordered to pay almost £10,000 after pleading guilty of removing four trees.

Newark and Sherwood District Council first discovered the trees on Appleton Gate, Newark were felled in August and September 2021, without prior consent having been applied from them, as the local planning authority.

The four trees were all protected by Tree Preservation Orders (TPO) — an order made by a local planning authority to protect specific trees, groups of trees or woodlands in the interest of amenity.

The trees were a willow, sycamore, rowan and silver birch.

The person engaged to fell the trees, one of the property owners and the business occupying 79 Appletongate all pleaded guilty at Nottingham Magistrates Court on March 14.

The parties were ordered to pay £2560.90, £2500.90 and £4500.90 respectively, including fines, costs and a victim surcharge.

Roger Blaney, chairman of the planning committee at the district council said: “I hope this legal actions sends a strong message to everyone that the unauthorised felling of trees protected by TPO’s will not be tolerated.

“The TPO’s are there for a reason and we will not stand by and let individuals do as they wish and break the law.

"I hope this court case acts as a warning to others who may consider doing similar in the future.”

An Appletongate resident, who wanted to remain anonymous, contacted the Advertiser to praise the district council.

The resident said: "Well done to Newark and Sherwood District Council for prosecuting this flagrant disregard of the law.

"The trees were an important part of our environment and we are all the poorer for them being felled.

"Trees do so much for our environment.

"Apart from their beauty, trees attract birds and clean the air.

"It is hard to believe that a nursery, of all places, would not appreciate these things.

"We have lost so many beautiful trees in Appletongate over the time I have lived here.

"New trees will be planted but they will take decades to reach maturity, assuming that they survive at all.

"I hope these fines will act as a deterrent to others who are thinking of felling protected trees and I would urge anyone who suspects that a tree is protected to check with the council."

The district council said it takes an extremely dim view of any harmful unauthorised works and action can, and will, be taken against all parties responsible.

A spokesman for Serendipitys Day Nursery said it had compiled with the district council throughout their investigation and had replanted new trees.