I am concerned about the trees that are being cut down unnecessarily in this beautiful leafy borough because of manipulation of planning applications.
New to the borough, I find my boundary trees under threat because of an extension being proposed by my neighbours.
On examination of the application form, it seems that the questions Are there any trees on the adjoining site?' and Does the development applied for involve the felling of trees?' can be ignored by the applicant.
If this section isn't filled in, the application isn't incomplete or invalid, the matter simply becomes a civil matter.
It would seem that if you protest, about this, following barnet Council's guidelines, it is dismissed as not relevant.
The council is ignoring it's own guidelines, telling residents to do so and allowing incomplete applications to be submitted for approval. Felling of trees is not being taken into consideration when granting planning permission.
If you're a planner, it appears easy to dupe the council. In effect, just ignore question 13 on the application form. This means every tree in the borough is under threat.
Miranda Melbourn Woodberry Gardens, North Finchley
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article