25 Oct 2023
Tyler Grange has been supporting the client, Crest Nicholson, with ecological advice for their Harry Stoke project since 2010, although Julian Arthur, Technical Director at Tyler Grange, has been involved even earlier. Tyler Grange has also been providing arboricultural advice since 2016, which is the focus of this case study.
The site is a multi phase development of 2,700 homes and associated physical and social infrastructure.
Crest Nicholson required a full suite of ecological and arboricultural inputs to inform the masterplanning process as well as supporting both outline and detailed planning applications.
The team at Tyler Grange was led by Julian Arthur, Technical Director. In addition, support was provided be:
The client team was led by Crest Nicholson and we worked closely with PAD (Masterplanning), Savills (Planning), David Jarvis (Landscape) and PEP (Engineering).
The entire site was covered by an Area Tree Preservation Order; part of our survey work required us to undertake a detailed survey of each tree to determine which trees of lesser quality could, if need, be removed to facilitate access and development. The resulting Tree Constraints Plan was key to informing the masterplanning process.
There would be tree loss resulting from the development; there was a hedgerow removal and several groups of trees that needed to be removed. This tree loss needed to be assessed in order to be compensated through new planting.
During the course of the project, the Council’s local planning policy had changed to include a specific compensatory tree replacement requirement for the site; a Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) was adopted which required a detailed assessment of the size of each tree being removed which would determine the number of trees required to compensate the loss.
As the client was proceeding with a Hybrid Planning Application, part of the site was proposed in outline and a separate part of the site was proposed in detail. These two different parts of the site required a different approach; a high level, strategic approach was required for the outline application whereas tree protection measures were required for the other part to support the detailed information that was being submitted.
This approach, in addition to good knowledge of the planning system, is critical in ensuring a proportionate response is taken to prevent unnecessary conditions being applied at an early stage; potentially hampering development options in the future.
We worked closely with the design team, informing the parameter plans and masterplan; being active in the design process and responsive to client queries.
Following consent to the hybrid application, Tyler Grange have been supporting with three Reserved Matters applications for infrastructure in addition to the first phases of the development parcels. This bespoke approach ensures detailed measures can be proposed once the designs have evolved sufficiently.
Several high value oak trees were identified on site which required specific mitigation measures to be proposed; the implementation of an elevated walkway beneath these trees required specialist construction methods which are sensitive to trees. There was also development within the Root Protection Area (RPA) of another large oak which required particular attention, all of these mitigation measures were dealt with in the reporting.
Our inputs included:
