People cheer as Stroud tree protection order is granted

Supporters of the tree preservation order for Verney Fields pictured outside Sroud District Council chamber at Ebley Mill

The public gallery erupted with cheer and applause as trees and woodland at a Gloucestershire beauty spot were given protection.

Stroud District Council voted to grant tree preservation orders TPO for trees at Verney Fields in Stonehouse.

Such orders make it an offence to fell, prune, uproot or "wilfully damage" a tree without the council's permission.

Council officers said the trees contribute significantly to landscape and ecology.

The land covers part of the western slope of Doverow Hill and is just to the north-east of the town's railway station.

It is illegal to fell, prune, or damage trees in Verney Fields without the council's permission

Objectors to the TPO said it is too vague and fails to highlight the specific trees and species they wish to preserve, said the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

The site was previously a mixture of low-use grazing and scrub, but after a change of ownership the council has applied to protect the woodland.

At the development control committee meeting on 14 November, councillor and former mayor Mattie Ross said everyone who lives in the town knows Doverow Hill and the "magnificent" trees there.

"People value it beyond anything else. You can see by the level of public opinion how people feel about it."

Landowner Linda Maiik argued the imposition of a TPO will prevent her from managing the trees

Stonehouse town councillor John Callinan also argued the case for the TPOs to be granted.

He said they thought originally that the magnificent oaks there were covered by the TPOs, but they were not.

"With the arrival of a new landowner in the town council we quickly realised that we needed to carry out a check on the status of our trees."

A statement was read out on behalf of Ms Linda Maiik who is the owner of most of the Verney Fields area subject to the TPO.

The perceived threat to the trees was "non-existent", she said. And felt the imposition of a TPO would "destroy a new business before it has been given the chance to flourish".