FORMAL action will be taken urging landowners to replace protected trees which were felled.

Hyndburn Council’s trees subcommittee approved proposals to issue tree replacement notices to landowners at Owl Hall in Accrington and Heathland school in Sandy Lane.

If the landowners fail to heed the orders, Hyndburn Council has powers to plant replacement trees and charge the cost back to landowners.

But chief planning and transportation officer Simon Prideaux said he would rather come to an agreement with the landowners.

Mr Prideaux said: "Where we have trees protected - either individually or as woodland, people are quick to point the finger at the council when we do any felling.

"If someone is seeking to fell a tree, the Tree Constraints Plan allows us to put conditions on related to that work and we can ask for replacement trees to be planted.

"With the school, the groundsman has been poorly for a while so maybe we can work with the school to come up with a solution to the situation.

"We would rather try and negotiate a solution which sees them planting trees rather than us going and doing it and then seeking costs."

Owl Hall was derelict for many years before planning permission was granted for the redevelopment of the hall for residential development in 2009 at appeal.

The trees in the grounds of Owl Hall are protected under a tree preservation order.

In July 2016, the council granted consent for the felling of eight trees at Owl Hall on the condition that there should be replacement planting to compensate for the loss.

Although the council usually ask for trees to be replaced at ratio of three new trees to one lost tree, due to the size of the site it was considered necessary to plant replacements on a one for one basis.

A second application was submitted in 2017 to fell a further eight trees on the same site on the basis that they were in poor condition and needed to be removed.

This was approved, again subject to a condition requiring replacement with eight new trees.

A third application was submitted by another owner to fell four trees on the site and approval was granted subject to 12 new trees being planted.

But none of the felled trees have been replaced despite the council’s trees and woodlands officer writing to the land owner in September 2017 reminding him of the need to plant the replacement trees no later than January 31 last year.

At Heathland, consent was granted to fell a beech tree in July 2017 subject to a requirement to plant three replacement trees.

The replacement trees were to be of a standard size and to be beech, birch and alder but this has not been done.

Similarly, consent was granted in September for the felling of four trees at the school and although replacement planting was required, this has not been undertaken.

Tree replacement notices will now be issued to landowners at Owl Hall and Heathland.