Any statements and/or petitions from the public under Standing Order 32 will be made or presented at the meeting.
Minutes:
The Committee was advised that one member of the public had given notice that they wished to make a statement at the meeting as follows: -
Mr Geoff MacIntyre made a statement concerning report 83/07 – Tree Preservation Order (Abingdon) No.3 2007.
Mr MacIntyre reported that he had contacted the Council in August 2005 and had been informed that the Council was in discussion with Bloor Homes regarding the purchase of a plot of land. However, Bloor Homes had subsequently informed him that there had been no such negotiations. Mr MacIntyre was then offered the freehold of the land. Mr MacIntyre commented that the Council had had some 33 years in which to purchase the land, but had chosen not to do so.
Mr MacIntyre reported that his solicitor had carried out a registration of common land and town or village green requisition for an official search and this had been returned in October 2006 with no entries. The land was therefore not common land owned by the Council, as was thought to be the case by many people.
Mr MacIntyre advised that he had asked to remove some trees on the land adjacent to his property explaining to the Committee that the land was in his ownership. He referred to the comments of the Council’s Landscape Officer (Arboriculture) that the trees provided a high degree of public amenity. He explained that he intended to plant trees all around the borders and he would erect a green metal fence one metre high. He commented that it was not his intention to remove all the trees only those nearest to his house because he considered that they were too close to his property and prevented any alteration to it.
Mr MacIntyre reported that he had enquired whether he could take down a couple of trees and this enquiry had led to the Tree Preservation Order being served. He commented that if he had not contacted the Council he would have been within his rights to remove the trees. He commented that any trees which would have been removed would have been replaced elsewhere on the site further away from his house near the footpath. He commented on the amount of time he spent clearing up rubbish and vandalised branches on his land. Furthermore, there were regularly groups of youths on the land and he therefore wished to enclose the plot. He commented that the reported stated that it was not the purpose of the Order to prevent development, but he found this difficult to believe.
Mr MacIntyre referred to the Council’s leaflet “Developing Affordable Housing” explaining that he had been influenced by the text in it concerning “the Council in conjunction with you providing of affordable housing”; “the Council’s priority of encouraging land owners and developers to provide affordable housing and interest in any local housing schemes”; and “the Council working towards providing affordable housing, helping to bring forward opportunities and being flexible and responsive to developers needs”.
Finally, Mr MacIntyre reported that the Councils’ Principal Legal Officer had confirmed in writing that he was the freehold owner of the land. The Tree Preservation Order had been issued after he had purchased the land.
The Chair thanked Mr MacIntyre for his statement advising that the Committee would have regard to it when considering report 83/07 later in the meeting.