A new planning application has caused controversy in the Fulwood community as residents close by to the Eastway developments express unhappiness with the tree felling currently taking place.

The application submitted on 29 September 2020 has not yet been approved by Preston City Council but work on tree-felling in the proposed area has begun.

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Eastway Employment Park will be made up of 12 units and a car park facilitating 125 spaces for associated employees and visitors.

The operating hours of the units are expected to be 08:00 to 22:00, Monday to Sunday. Within the development proposal it says the potentially new Eastway Employment Park intends to ‘facilitate the construction of a high quality employment site, which is in keeping with the character of the local area.’

However although the plans are yet to be approved, preparation for the new blocks has started with residents around the Durton Lane site unhappy with tree felling which has taken place over the last month.

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Preston City Council made the following comment about the plans: “The site in question is subject to a live planning application. Work ongoing at the location relates to site clearance which does not require planning approval. Any concerns relating to public safety should be referred to the Health and Safety Executive.

“As part of their application the developer has submitted a ‘Breeding bird survey report’ which has been reviewed by our ecologist in advance of the planning committee and is available online. Any suspected breaches of wildlife legislation should be referred to Lancashire Police.”

The report submitted in the planning application documents explain that where it is considered expedient to do so, local authorities reserve the right to create Tree Preservation Orders (TPO) to protect the amenity value conferred to a location by a tree or group of trees.

Where a TPO is in force, lopping, topping, felling, uprooting or wilful damage caused to a tree is prohibited and such actions may be prosecuted and incur an unlimited fine. Works to TPO protected trees must only be undertaken with the written consent of the local authority.

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However only two trees in the proposed building area had been protected by a Tree Preservation Order and the site is not in a Conservation Area.

Outraged residents have shown their upset about the tree clearing as Facebook community groups discuss the planning application.

One homeowner, Hazel Hodson, said in the community forum ‘We are Fulwood’: “There has been no notices anywhere. Doesn’t look like it’s even been passed by the planning committee. The beautiful field has been destroyed today. Trees cut down and burnt during nesting season too!”

Another unhappy neighbour to the tree felling, Lisa Thomas, commented in the community group ‘We are Fulwood’ saying: “You could smell the burning again this morning, I can’t believe that they are clearing before it’s even been passed. I hope that as part of the plans they don’t disturb cromwells mound and it’s still accessible. The planned buildings look terrible!”

The planning application number for Eastway Employment Park is available for public viewing at 06/2020/0941 and can be found on Preston City Council website.

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Have you seen the ongoing work in Fulwood? What do you think about the tree felling? Let us know in the comments.