Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of mandating a minimum aftercare period for trees planted as a condition of planning permissions for new homes.

The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that planning policies and decisions should ensure that appropriate measures are in place to secure the long-term maintenance of newly-planted trees.

The National Design Guide, which supports the Framework, adds that management and maintenance regimes should be considered from the early stages of the design process and documented in a management plan.

A Local Planning Authority can attach conditions to the grant of planning permission. These could be used to secure the implementation and protection of trees within a development. If a development has been carried out without complying with any associated planning conditions, local planning authorities have a range of planning enforcement powers which they can use to tackle alleged breaches of planning control.

Planning authorities can also use planning obligations to restrict or prescribe the use of land, require specific activities to be carried out in relation to a development, and require payment to a local authority. Planning obligations could include requiring a developer to make payments towards the management and maintenance of trees.