Council wins court case for trees taken down without permission
Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council has successfully secured an injunction against the unauthorised felling of protected trees.
In October 2023 it was brought to the council’s attention that a number of trees in a wooded site at Mornington in Digswell, Welwyn Garden City were being felled without the appropriate consent. Permission was needed due to the presence of group and area Tree Protection Orders (TPOs) on the site. As soon as the council was notified, the site was visited by council officers to warn of the potential consequences of unauthorised work.
Following the site visit, the council sought a Without Notice Injunction from the High Court to stop any further felling of trees.
Subsequently, at a trial at the High Court in London, the injunction was made permanent, and the people who had undertaken the work, father and son Mr and Mr Bhamra, were ordered to pay the council’s costs of £27,500.
Cllr Rose Grewal, Executive Member, Planning, said:
“This injunction sends out a clear message to people who have no regard for our natural environment and highlights the importance of our Tree Protection Orders.
“We would always seek to educate and advise before taking any enforcement action. But with Action on Climate Change one of the council’s key priorities, we are 100% committed to protecting and increasing the biodiversity of our borough now and for our future generations”.