Greengage were commissioned to undertake a tree survey and prepare an Arboricultural Impact Assessment (AIA) report for a site at King Street, Stanford le Hope in Thurrock, Essex.
Planning application proposals were for the construction of a mixed-use development, comprising 214 sqm of retail / leisure / commercial unit at ground floor level and 58 residential units on upper floors, together with an undercroft and surface car park (comprising 58 spaces), access, landscaping and associated works.
The survey identified 24 individual trees and three tree groups which could potentially be impacted by the proposed development, but the general quality of the trees onsite was considered poor due to limited growing conditions, group suppression, insensitive historical pruning and the natural self-seeded nature of the specimens. Given these factors, Greengage were able to conclude that there were no major constraints to development from the existing tree stock and the proposed layout.
In addition to the above, through input to the design process and the landscape plans, Greengage were able to mitigate for the loss of trees as a result of the proposed development. This input ensured that the localised loss of amenity value through the removal of existing trees on site was short-term and mitigated in the mid- to long-term as the newly planted trees matured overtime.
