Developer fined £50K for cutting down trees

I agree Daisymae. They just factor the cost of the fine into their budget and no doubt pass it on to the purchasers.

A ban on development would be an amazing deterrent but would be hard to enforce.

Must be a bit dim if they didn't realise that they needed permission to cut down trees. For protected trees there is a rigmarole to go through and healthy trees will not be cut down unless there is a very good reason.

I think he knew just what he was doing.

This is very local to me and caused a nigh on vigilante group to be formed. He’s arrogant and has history in the area, if his parents keep bailing him out, he’ll keep on trying to skirt the law, this time he failed.
The site, I only passed it yesterday, is in a sorry state, local wildlife lost yet another haven and I’ll believe it when I see it that the re planting has been done, properly.

Yep, that is what they do. A tiny bit of the profit lost and well calculated! Makes me so angry. When they built in the paddock behind our last house, there was a big poplar tree in the corner at the end of our long garden, shielding us from the new Estate. They knocked it down by 'mistake' with a bulldozer and when I went to complain, they said no-one had noticed! My foot- it was about 25 m high. I showed them photos of before and after, and made them cough up for a mature tree to replace it which cost them quite a lot of money- but still not to the same height so they could sell the bungalow next to it for good money. Grrrr.

Happens here too which makes me so angry. They do token replanting if they do any - always some waffle they will plant once buildings are finished. Local doctors can’t cope, new local high school was full before the school even opened and before planning granted for 300more houses. Most houses being sold as second homes as we are only 3miles from coast. I suppose land can only be sold the once.

Not even a £1000 fine per tree. They were 100 year old oaks. Unbelievable, and all the young trees too that went into the shredder. Absolutely heartbreaking.

Disgraceful person. Every tree is precious and the fine should be larger, and how about community service as well.

Read the link and he has also got to replant the land with 37 2,5m mature oak saplings, expected to cost him £25-30,000 and has to pay £18,000 Eastleigh Council Legal fees.

So in total this vandalistic foray is going to cost him over £90,000, and he must realise by now that if he doesn't do it, the Council will be on to him again and he will have more fines and costs.

It is happening with Listed Buildings as well. When a some years ago a local farmer took a bull dozer to try to destroy a listed cottage. His fines were nominal, but he had to completely restore the cottage under the beady eye of our Conservation Officer who made daily visits and it cost him over £70,000, and I read yesterday that another developer got fined £50,000 for removing windows from a Listed building without consent and refusing to replace them.

It is time councils got tough with these vandal and made sure their vandalism doesn't pay.