Council must branch out with costly tree survey (From Bicester Advertiser)

Council must branch out with costly tree survey

7:00pm Thursday 28th June 2012 in Headlines

BICESTER Town Council has been left with a £20,000 bill to carry out a town-wide tree survey after a spate of compensation claims.

Insurers have told the council unless it carries out the survey in the next six months, it will not be covered for issues relating to trees.

The claims are understood to be related to subsidence problems, but as they are ongoing, the council cannot provide any further details.

Trees across Bicester will be rated from high- to low-risk, and the cost of work to bring them all up to scratch could run into thousands of pounds.

Insurers also want a 12-month plan of work to tackle problem areas, and details of an ongoing monitoring policy.

Many of the problems have stemmed from developers planting inappropriate trees in wrong locations on new estates.

Then, as they matured, they have caused problems to nearby homes.

Councillor Les Sibley said: “If it’s something that has got to be done, then the money has to be spent.”

The move has also led to a change of policy over when estates are handed over to local authorities. Bicester Town Council say it will not accept land until it is happy with its condition.