This application is to cut back some trees which are protected by a Tree PreservationOrder. Much of Sheepwood is protected by a Canopy Tree preservation Order, including the arearelevant to this Application, and the same Order lists many of the significant trees in the immediatesurrounding area.I recognise this address from previous Applications made when the former Wesley College wasbeing developed. I have made enquiries of some residents whom I know were involved indiscussions about the development of the whole site. One of the "unfinished issues" as far as thelocal residents are concerned is "Who owns the trees in this woodland?Reference to a document in an earlier Planning Application (19/02672/VP) would suggest that theland of the Sheepwood, as well as the land surrounding the now Oakhill Mansions, is still ownedby the developers of the site Firmstone/Northover Development, unless there has been a transferof ownership to say, a Management Company. I write this because the Applicant for this work is aresident of Blethwin Close and states in the Application Form that the ownership of the land, andhence the trees, is unknown. The Applicant in 2019 (19/02672/VP) was Firmstone Developments,owner of the trees.Anyone can make a Planning Application to do work on trees, even TPO trees, but, if consent isgranted, carrying out that work on the trees in question without the owner's consent is an offence. Iam not an expert, but someone who is, said it was criminal damage.The Application is 2019 was to "To remove large dead wood and broken limbs in Sheep's Woodon the boundary that may present a hazard to neighbouring properties on Didsbury Close,Ridgeway and Northover Road."This Application is a bit different. It is "Various species, reduce back to boundary by 0.5-1m. TPO1091/R". This suggests that this involves cutting living parts of more than one tree.Council policy is not to trim trees it owns when the tree(s) overhang(s) boundaries (though it has tobe said that the Council does not always apply this policy, even for TPO trees it owns!). The

Council does not own these trees. Their policy for trees they do not own is not stated - presumablyeach case is treated on its merits.I ask the AO only to permit the trimming of these trees solely if by doing so no damage is causedto the current state and form of the tree(s) and there is no likely effect on the long-term viability ofthe trees, as Form and Future Lifespan are both important criteria for maintaining a TreePreservation Order.

CPRE South Gloucestershire/North Bristol District of CPRE Avon and Bristol considersthat this application requires further information to be supplied before a decision can be made.Not only are these trees in a Conservation Area and subject to a Woodland TPO but Defra'sMAGIC database of habitats confirms that Sheep Wood is an Ancient Woodland as determined bythe National Forest Inventory 2014.Apart from the question of ownership, the application is too vague in its wording to determinewhich trees/species it refers to. Once these issues have been clarified, if it is considerednecessary that the trees in question should be "reduced" then the work must be carefullymanaged, given the precarious nature of Ancient Woodland within the city of Bristol, and thispreferably as part of a wider management plan for the wood.