New portal shows protected trees and conservation areas

28 June 2024

A new web app created by Powys County Council will help residents and developers identify which trees in their neighbourhoods are protected.

Trees which are covered by a preservation order (TPO), or are in a conservation area, cannot be felled, cut back or damaged without first getting permission to carry out the work.

Thousands of trees within the Powys Local Planning Authority area (all parts of the county outside of Bannau Brycheiniog National Park) are covered by TPOs or fall within a conservation area: Tree Preservation Orders and Trees in Conservation Areas

They include:

• Wales Tree of the Year 2019 runner up, black poplar found in Newtown's Gravel Car Park. Estimated to be over 350-years-old and a fine example of the UK's rarest native tree species.
• Bron y Buckley Wood, Welshpool, an ancient woodland with oak, beech, ash and sycamore, which is managed by the Woodland Trust: https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/woods/bron-y-buckley/

"We are keen to make sure that our stunning natural environment is protected" said Gwilym Davies, Powys County Council's Head of Planning and Regulatory Services, "and this new resource makes it quicker and easier for people to check which trees are protected and which are not.

"Trees are an important part of many of our green spaces, that are so vital to people's well-being, and they also play a key role in the fight against climate change."

The new web portal has been created by the council's Digital Development Team and its Planning Services as part of its Digital Powys Transformation Programme which aims to use new technologies to make its services more accessible and convenient to use.

PICTURE: Bron y Buckley Wood in Welshpool.