Canopy Cover

Are trees slowing down your planning application?

If you are having problems getting a planning consent because of trees, we may be able to help. In response to local planning authorities (LPAs) often asking for detailed information on how planning applications affect trees, we have designed a ground-breaking canopy cover solution to address those concerns quickly and cost-effectively.

Our unique approach graphically illustrates how the canopies of new and existing trees grow over time, making it much easier to see how any adverse impacts from tree losses will be mitigated and, more importantly, to positively highlight the increased tree benefits through granting consent.

Our canopy cover plans show the existing baseline tree cover as the dark green shading, and how that can be expected to increase in the next 10, 20, and 30 years with the lighter green increments.  We then add in the tree losses in red, and the new tree planting increments in shades of blue, which allows a comparison between the no-development scenario compared to the development proposal.  This detailed analysis allows the breakeven point to be estimated, where the new canopy growth matches the losses through tree removals, and all the canopy growth after that point becomes a net gain, which helps planners to properly assess the impact on trees, and therefore local character.

This type of growth analysis visualisation focuses on the positives of a development proposal, and can make the difference between success and failure on marginal sites.  Call or email us if you want to increase your chances of planning success where trees are causing problems.