To consider the Motion on Notice received from Councillor Amorowson:

Council has previously, in 2017, endorsed the Charter for Trees, Woods and People, promoted by the Woodland Trust. It is now time to put more of the Charter principles into action.

Introduction

-        Trees and woodlands are fundamental to all living things on earth, and a key part of local green infrastructure.

-        Trees remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and convert it to wood which may remain as a carbon store either as permanent woodland or through use in construction and other semi-permanent purposes. To increase tree cover would, along with other green policies, help the Council’s target of becoming carbon neutral by 2030.

-        Trees contribute to quality of life, being visually prominent in the landscape. They offer opportunities for recreation where public access to large scale planting is available, bringing leisure benefits such as den-building, and encourage dying crafts such as coppicing and hedge-laying. They also reduce particulate pollution in urban areas.

-        Woodlands provide a range of benefits to physical and mental health and wellbeing and have been found to provide a safe space for more vulnerable groups within society.

-        The value of trees to agriculture is increasingly being recognised, in reducing soil run-off, shading outdoor livestock, supporting beneficial species and other symbiotic relationships - a farming system known as agro-forestry.

Motion

1.     Council pledges to increase the District's tree cover.

·       indirectly through landscaping conditions on planning permissions,

·       directly to strengthen and fill gaps in identified biodiversity corridors.

·       directly by investing in land purchase, targeting poor quality farmland where the open space survey for Joint Local Plan has shown there are deficiencies.

·       directly by allowing re-wilding of some areas, with the central idea that natural processes should be allowed to take their course

2.     Officers will work with communities to identify opportunities for community woods and orchards, including via planning applications, the Neighbourhood Planning process and the Joint Local Plan land allocations. There is a particular emphasis in the Charter for Trees, Woods and People that everyone should have access to woodland, so we should be working to achieve that.

3.     Council pledges to increase support to the network of Parish Tree Wardens, both through training and also material help with trees, stakes and guards.

4.     In addition, Council asks Cabinet to investigate possibilities for a carbon offset scheme to fund afforestation, available alongside planning permissions to balance embodied emissions and offered more widely to other organisations.

Proposer: Councillor Oliver Amorowson

Seconder: Councillor Andy Mellen

15.1          The Chair of the Council invited Councillor Amorowson to move the Motion.

15.2           Councillor Amorowson began with an introduction and MOVED the Motion as detailed in the Agenda.

15.3           Councillor Mellen SECONDED the Motion.

15.4           Members then debated the Motion.

15.5           Councillor Humphreys did in principle agree with the overall aim of the Motion.  However, he stated that nationally the Urban Tree Challenge had funded the planting of 130,000 tress across the U.K.  He was concerned about several issues in the Motion, including the cost implications and the planning policy. He encouraged the Cabinet Member for Environment to seek further information on this issue and bring a report to Council.

15.6           Councillor Eburne supported the Motion, as woodland space had proven to improve mental health and the general wellbeing, which would benefit communities.

15.7           Councillor Passmore agreed with Councillor Humphreys.  He thought that a Task and Finish Group could work to find a workable and productive solution for how to increase tree planting in the District.

15.8           Councillor Caston said that the Climate Change Motion agreed at the last Council Meeting had established a Task Force, which was meeting on the 9^th of October and that he would take any comments made by the Council to the first meeting.

15.9           Councillor Otton supported the Motion, though there were a few issues which need to be clarified.  She stated that more preservation orders for trees and mature woodland should be issued to help preservation of these.  She also asked that plastic sleeves for protection of trees were not to be used. 

15.10        Councillor Meyer agreed with Councillor Caston and thought that there was a risk of undermining the Task Force, if the Motion was agreed.

15.11        Councillor Stringer declared a non-pecuniary local interest as a member of the Woodland Trust. He said that the Council declared an emergency and had to undertake the work now.

15.12        Councillor Richardson supported the principle of the Motion but thought it would be duplication of the work of the taskforce and work around the green corridors.  There was a mixture of other initiatives, which could support the work to achieve carbon reduction.  There was not sufficient detail in the Motion to undertake the practical side of implementing the suggested actions in the Motion.

15.13        Councillor Pratt suggested that new ideas were considered. Farmers who were entrenched in debt could provide farmland for re-wilderment.

15.14        Councillor Hicks disagreed with Councillor Stringer and said that work for the Emergency Climate change had already been undertaken and he thought it was a mistake to issue a decree to the Task Force for Emergency Climate Change.  The sentiment in the Motion was right however, the timing was wrong.  He stated that Climate Change was a top priority.

15.15        Councillor Geake said that locating enough land for planting trees was difficult.  However, the Council controlled land at Planning Committee and also owned land in the District. She thought the Council needed to act as a corporate body to utilise options for planting of trees.

15.16        Councillor Welham believed that adoption of the Motion would help the Task Force and would show that the Council was leading the way to communities and local groups, who were interested in planting trees.

15.17        Councillor Mansel asked if the Motion could be re-worded if some Members were unhappy with the wording.

15.18        Councillor Fleming supported the principle of the Motion, however, the wording in the Motion supported too many financial commitments which were not substantiated.  She thought that a report produced in collaboration between the Cabinet Member and officers would be more effective and allow Members to debate the issues properly.

15.19        Councillor Mellen stated the benefits of reforestation including that it had proved beneficial to public health, improved anti-social behaviour and could increase property values.  He felt that there was a multitude of initiatives which the Council could undertake.  The Motion detailed the measures for how to begin re-wilding and would influence the work of the Task Force.

15.20        The Chair asked if Councillor Amorowson would like to summarise which he declined.

15.21        The Motion was put to Members for the vote and the vote was LOST.