A new policy drawn up by Wellingborough council, in discussion with Wellingborough Norse to help manage their 76,000 trees. A report prepared ahead of the meeting on Tuesday 24 January said:
“The council recognises that trees have an important role in both rural and urban environments.
“Appropriate tree management is needed to ensure that the council fulfils its statutory obligations and takes all reasonable steps to manage trees.
“The council is aware trees are widely regarded as a positive feature, but can raise a variety of potential concerns, from being a nuisance or inconvenience to some people, to potentially causing serious injury or even death.
“As a tree owner the council has a direct responsibility for ensuring that its trees do not pose a danger to the public or property, and are managed appropriately.”
Of the 76,000 trees that the council are in charge of, 5,000 are in public spaces and around 5,000 other trees are Northants County Council (NCC) Highway trees, maintained by Wellingborough Norse.
The new tree policy is to be used by council officers, councillors and the local community as a guide to council’s approach to tree management.
The report discussed by councillors this week said: “If adopted, the policy will provide a document to confirm the council’s tree management processes, making things clearer for the community, and provide a document for the development management team to consider when determining planning applications.”
