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To: Dominic Raab MP, Minister of State for Housing and Planning

Help Us Save Our Special Trees

Amend existing legislation to make public display of planning permission notices a compulsory part of the planning process for applications to carry out work on trees with Tree Protection Orders and in Local Conservation Areas.

Why is this important?

I believe that the public display of planning permission notices should be a compulsory part of the planning process for applications to carry out work on trees with Tree Protection Orders and in Local Conservation Areas.

At the moment there is no 'requirement' to display such public notices. This means that the first local people know of work to these special trees is when the work actually starts. This is likely to be long after the window of opportunity for comment as part of the planning process has passed.

I became aware of this issue recently when I was looking on our local planning authority website after hearing a rumour of tree work in our local park. It was only then that I found out that one of the trees to be felled was a much loved local Oak. The park is in a Conservation Area.

I felt devastated that it was already too late to have any input into the application. I hadn't known to look on the planning website beforehand to check on tree work as I had assumed any notices would be posted nearby as with other types of planning application.

I tried everything I could think of to save the tree but all to no avail.

I doesn't seem right to me that trees with supposedly protected status have so little protection in practice and I feel that others will also be shocked to learn that permission can be given to fell these special trees without consulting or even informing local people at all.

Please sign my petition to help protect our special trees for future generations and wildlife to enjoy.

Updates

2017-05-29 13:50:19 +0100

Dear Supporters, yesterday we reached my minimum target of 1000 signatures! I feel really amazed and moved by the support I have received with this since I first started the petition on the 31st of January with just 3 signatures, one of them mine! Thank you so much to all of you who have helped me whether by signing and sharing with great enthusiasm or using your artistic talents to help me 'spread the word' online. The number of signatures is still rising today, currently 1018 and we don't yet know who the relevant minister is to be post election, so it looks as if it is 'onwards and upwards'. Who knows, we may have reached 1500 by the time the political situation becomes clearer! ;-)

2017-05-28 16:15:52 +0100

1,000 signatures reached

2017-05-07 19:39:04 +0100

Dear supporters, it's only 9 days since we reached 600 signatures and yet, amazingly we have now reached the wonderful total of 750, only 250 needed now until my minimum goal of 1000! Things seem to have really 'taken off', especially over the last few days, perhaps aided by the fantastic Spring weather we have been having. Thank you so much to all of you who have been signing and sharing at such a tremendous rate. You are all wonderful and with your continued support and belief we should reach 1000 very soon!!

2017-04-27 20:25:03 +0100

Yesterday morning we reached the very significant milestone of 600 (now 603) signatures! This is particularly significant because it is over half way to my minimum, slightly random goal of 1000! Thank you so much to the other 602 people who care about the fate of our trees as much as I do. It is quite moving to be part of such a diverse, multi-national little online community united by our love of Britain's trees. Please keep up all your good work signing and sharing and we should reach our goal in no time at all!

2017-04-13 18:45:34 +0100

As stated below we have just passed the wonderful milestone of 500 signatures! This is truly amazing just a couple of months after I started this petition with just 3 signatures! It also marks the half way point to the minimum number I would ideally like to achieve before considering submitting it. So well done and many, many thanks to everyone who has helped us to get this far. So 'onwards and upwards' as they say. Please keep signing and sharing and together, I believe, we will get there!

2017-04-12 18:47:02 +0100

500 signatures reached

2017-04-04 20:55:19 +0100

We have just passed the milestone of 400 signatures! Well done everyone. Thank you all so much for your support and for your lovely, thoughtful comments (above) . Please keep signing and sharing and at this rate we should reach 500 signatures in no time at all!

2017-03-23 19:39:40 +0000

Today we have just passed our new milestone of 300 signatures. Thank you to everyone for your hard work signing and sharing with your friends and families. It would be impossible to do this without you!

2017-03-11 15:50:20 +0000

We have just passed the milestone of 200 signatures which is wonderful. Thank you everyone. Please keep signing and sharing and together we will have a real chance of enabling communities throughout Britain to stand up for the trees we all love. Thank you.

2017-03-01 08:25:47 +0000

100 signatures reached

2017-02-23 05:57:21 +0000

50 signatures reached

2017-02-17 21:40:03 +0000

25 signatures reached

2017-02-08 23:49:12 +0000

10 signatures reached