The importance of trees in Coates was emphasised this year by some major additions to Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs) in the Parish. These include official protection for two important woodland areas as well as protection for additional individual trees.
Trees in the Cotswold AONB (ie in Coates) do not have any automatic protection from felling or major tree surgery, as they do in the Cotswold Conservation Area. So the application of TPOs in Coates ensures that some of the mature trees that are particularly important to the landscape and environment are not completely vulnerable, for example to building development. This means that the CDC Tree Officer (currently Mathew Reid, based in the CDC offices in Cirencester) has the responsibility of granting prior permission for any work on trees with TPO status. The potential fines for felling TPO trees without consulting the Council first are draconian – up to £20k. However, fines of this size are rarely applied but it is best to be aware of the potential penalty. In my experience, CDC Tree Officers are usually very helpful about requests for justifiable work on TPO trees such as those with disease or unsafe overhanging branches.
The first of the newly protected woodland areas is the old quarry site on the Trewsbury Road near the entrance to the village from the South. There are beech, sycamores, willows and hawthorns growing happily in the depression created by the quarry. It creates a pleasant copse to mark what is probably the most used roadway entrance to the village. A small group of handsome beech trees near the quarry site has also been protected.
The other new TPO Woodland is the broad L –shaped band of trees bordering the Trewsbury Road (facing the Village Hall car park) and the edge of the field beyond. This is classic unspoilt woodland with a wide variety of trees including Douglas fir, cypress, sycamore, beech, horse chestnut, lime, yew, hawthorn and holly – with wild flowers beneath. It is perhaps a pity though that the high Cotswold stone wall on the roadside has become completely covered in ivy and overhanging branches. Should this wall be uncovered again before it collapses?
Planting new trees
Even protected trees still fail eventually so planting new trees is important to provide mature trees for future generations. The shortage of public space in Coates has limited the scope for the village to plant new trees. Around nine years ago, the Parish Council, with the help of grant money from the CDC, planted several new trees – three on the village green/playground, one near the old well, and two on the roadside verge near Home Piece. Four have survived, the best being the Field Maple on the green. Two were vandalised. More recently, a silver birch was planted in Dark Lane in memory of Albert Wheatley and, with much watering during dry summer periods, it seems to be developing well.
The CDC will shortly be holding a meeting for the voluntary tree wardens in the county to brief them on grants available for new community tree planting. If money is available, the village might like to start thinking about some new planting and in which areas.
Geoff Moore (voluntary tree warden for Coates)
