Our role was to establish a clear and defensible arboricultural framework to inform masterplanning at outline stage and demonstrate that development could be delivered while safeguarding the site’s green infrastructure assets. We undertook a detailed tree and hedgerow survey in accordance with BS 5837:2012, capturing all trees and hedgerows within and adjacent to the site and identifying the key constraints and opportunities they presented.
This work informed the production of a Tree Constraints Plan and an Arboricultural Impact Assessment, which evaluated the existing treescape and highlighted critical sensitivities including ancient woodland, a veteran tree and an extensive hedgerow network forming an important part of the local landscape and ecological connectivity.
Arboricultural advice was used to shape the illustrative masterplan and development parameters, demonstrating that higher-quality trees could largely be retained, that ancient woodland could be protected with appropriate stand-off and buffering, and that hedgerows could be integrated into a coherent green infrastructure network.
The assessment confirmed that any tree and hedgerow losses required to facilitate access and development could be mitigated through layout design, buffers, connectivity enhancements and future planting, with no unavoidable adverse effects.
Importantly, the survey data and drawings were prepared in a forward-compatible format to support reserved matters applications, enabling arboricultural considerations to be carried seamlessly from outline consent into detailed design without the need for repeat baseline surveys.
The Arboricultural Impact Assessment formed a key technical component of the outline planning submission and provided a robust basis for securing appropriate conditions to guide future phases of this large-scale, landscape-led development.
