A £10,000 fine has been levied at Shanly Homes after the housing developer wilfully damaged two protected trees on a site in Surrey
Housing developer Shanly Homes has been fined after damaging two trees. The case, which was brought before Redhill Magistrates, saw the firm receive a fine of £10,000 for the wilful damage of two protected trees in Redhill, Surrey.
Shanly Homes caused the damage by carrying out excavation workers at the former Frenches Club. This contravened a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) and the work led to irreparable damage to a protected yew tree and horse chestnut tree.
The case, which was brought by Reigate & Banstead Borough Council, also saw the housing developer ordered to pay the local authority’s costs, which totalled £1.002, as well as £170 as a victim’s surcharge.
Due to the guilty plea the fine was reduced from £7,000 to £5,000 per tree.
Significant damage was caused to protected trees
The council was alerted to the damage after a local resident called in with concerns about construction work being carried out in the rooting areas of the trees. A tree officer at the council investigated and discovered the housing developer was carrying out unauthorised works, which had damaged the trees substantially.
The judge said before sentencing that he had taken into account the fact Shanly Homes is a large, established firm that should have had the mechanisms in place to ensure the incident was avoided. The firm was also asked to explain how they will ensure a mistake such as this does not occur again in the future.
Chairman of the Planning Committee Councillor Mark Brunt said: “We take a very dim view of anyone who thinks they are above the law and can disregard a Tree Preservation Order. These substantial trees formed an important landscape feature in the Redhill area and were protected to safeguard their future.
“A well-established company like Shanly Homes should have known better than to carry out these works without following the correct protocols.
“I hope this hefty fine sends a very strong message that we are determined to deal firmly with those who contravene a Tree Preservation Order and threaten the environment we work so hard to protect.”
Brunt added: “Initial information about TPO beaches often comes from the local community, so I ask residents to continue to report these matters to us so we can investigate at an early stage.”
