Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has, as part of the England Tree Strategy, to amend guidance on granting Tree Preservation Orders to afford greater priority to the environmental benefits of those Orders.

The England Tree Strategy will aim to maximise environmental benefits that afforestation and management of existing trees can deliver by supporting our commitment to deliver 30,000 hectares of planting a year by 2025.

We are currently consulting on the strategy, and this includes inviting views on refining the process of making Tree Preservation Orders and clarifying the criteria to improve consistency in application of the policy across local authorities. The consultation closes on 11 September, with publication of the Strategy to follow early in 2021.