Decision details

Councillor Pearson, Lead Executive Member for Housing, Health and Culture presented the report which outlined the draft policy for the management of Selby District Council owned trees for approval and adoption following a period of public consultation.

The Lead Executive Member for Housing, Health and Culture explained that the Council did not have a current policy on tree management in place and although there was no legal requirement to have a policy, having one ensured that the Council could ensure risks were managed effectively and public safety was ensured. It was noted that the policy had been out to consultation and had been considered by the Policy Review Committee.

The following discussion took place:

·         With regard to Brayton Barff, it was queried that as this was said to be jointly owned between the Council and Yorkshire Water, who was responsible for the maintenance of the trees. It was acknowledged that rather than the whole site being jointly owned, the Council owned one part of the site and Yorkshire Water, the other. It was felt this needed to be made clearer in the policy.

·         Clarification was sought on whether the Council could state that they would not prune or remove Council owned trees to allow the installation of solar panels to a property. The Commissioning and Procurement Team Leader explained that there was a section in another area of the policy which explained the steps to be taken if a tree was touching a property. It was felt that this section needed to be clearer and there needed to be cross referencing to other parts of the policy if there was relevant information in those areas.

·         With regard to the section on poisonous fruit, it was felt the wording needed to be amended to state that ‘appropriate action will be considered’.

·         Concern was raised that pollen, sap or fallen fruit falling on to public footpaths could have an impact on vulnerable people and it was felt that there needed to be clear commitment to protecting vulnerable people throughout the policy.

·         With regard to the disposal of green waste, it was felt this needed to state that it would be spread on Council owned land or on private land with the landowner’s permission. The Commissioning and Procurement Team Leader explained that Council contractors were aware that green waste needed to be spread on Council owned land and only on other land with permission.

·         The Executive felt that an update should be provided on how the policy was progressing in a year.

RESOLVED:

To approve the report and adopt the policy for the management of Selby District Council owned trees with the above amendments.

REASON FOR DECISION:

To ensure that the Council has a robust and compliant approach to the management of trees on its land, and effective risk management.