Guildford Borough Council (GBC) has issued a provisional Tree Protection Order (TPO) on 90 individual trees and 3 areas of woodland in and around the site on which Taylor Wimpey (TW) is planning to build up to 950 dwellings. The TPO is valid for 6 months, after which the Council either needs to confirm it or let it lapse.

We attach below the communication from GBC about this to affected householders, together with the full detail of the TPO. Anyone can respond, not just those who own land on which a TPO is proposed, and would urge everyone who cares about this precious area of green space to submit their response as indicated (either by post or by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). Responses are requested before the end of October, although we understand they will still be accepted for a limited period after this date. 

We would point out that the developer itself indicated as part of its application that it would apply for protection for a large number of trees on the site, but it is worth noting that the TPO includes an area, marked A1 on the plan, which is where the plans include an access road off Glaziers Lane through the woods to their site. Regardless of whether the development gets planning permission or not, the TPO provides important protection for all the trees identified and can only be overridden by GBC or its successor body. (NB TPOs are not applied to trees lying within areas of Ancient Woodland, as they already have protection under the NPPF.)