Grammar school refused permission to fell trees

Wakefield Grammar School Foundation wanted to chop down 10 trees and do pruning work on another 29

A grammar school has been refused permission to fell protected trees in its grounds over concerns about harming the landscape.

Wakefield Grammar School Foundation applied to chop down 10 trees and carry out pruning work on a further 29 at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School on Northgate.

But planning officers at Wakefield Council only granted permission for two of the trees to be removed and for work to be completed on 17 others, saying cutting down the other eight would be “unjustified”.

Their report said the trees were “important landscape features” and that the school had not offered sufficient reason to fell them.

'Important landscape features'

The report said: “There is insufficient information provided by the applicant that substantiates or deals with the proposals to fell and prune a number of trees on site.

“Those trees are deemed to be important landscape features, offering significant contribution in a public amenity context.

“Therefore, it is felt that the premature loss of those tree would be contrary to council policy.”

Officers added the removal of some of the trees at the school would contravene its policy on protecting woodland, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

A decision notice issued by the authority said the proposals were based on a 12-month tree survey carried out in 2023.

The document stated: “The trees, when viewed in September 2024, appeared to be viable and healthy, or remained unchanged from the description within the survey itself.

“It is felt that the premature loss of some of these trees, or the unjustified works to them, would harm the trees themselves and local levels of public amenity.”

The notice instead advised the trust to continue to monitor the remaining trees at the site.

The BBC has contacted the school for a response.

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