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5A Herschel Road Cambridge Cambridgeshire CB3 9AG

26/0761/TTPOWorks to TPO treesRefused

Refused on 1 September 2026

Council decision: Refused Permission2 reasons for refusal

Proposal

T1 Mature Lime - reduction in height of approximately 6 metres and installation of an 8-ton Cobra bracing system on the remaining stems following these reduction works. The aim of these works is to mitigate the risk of failure onto the listed dwelling below by easing weight and wind loading/sail.

Received
21 July 2026
Ward
Newnham
Agent
Shelford Tree Service Ltd
  1. Received21 Jul
  2. Validated21 Jul
  3. Consult.14 Aug
  4. Target15 Sep
  5. Decided1 Sep

Decided in 42 days (council typically 49)

About this application

This is a tree application at 5A Herschel Road Cambridge Cambridgeshire CB3 9AG. Cambridge has handled 1,228 applications of this type. This one was decided in 42 days, 7 days quicker than Cambridge's typical decision time. The site is in the West Cambridge conservation area. There have been 2 other applications at this address. In the past year there have been 188 applications across Newnham. We hold 690 applications in total for the CB3 postcode area.

94% of trees applications at Cambridge City Council were approved. Across all application types, the council typically decides in about 7 weeks (median).

Based on decided applications received in the last 3 years.Planning something similar? See what gets approved on your street

Why it was refused

  1. There is insufficient justification for the works to trees in the manner proposed and these works would be detrimental to tree health and amenity contribution and therefore to the character and appearance of the area. The Council recognises the need for periodic works to some trees to maintain a reasonable relationship between trees and property and would be happy to consider a less severe description of works.
  2. A 6m crown reduction is deemed excessive and exceeds BS3998; insufficient evidence provided to support assertion that branch unions are unstable. Authorisation Authorised by: SJ Kelly Joint Director For Planning & Economic Development For Cambridge & South Cambridgeshire South Cambridgeshire Hall Cambourne Business Park Cambourne Cambridge CB23 6EA Date the decision was made: 1 September 2026

From the council's decision notice.

Application details

Postcode
CB3 9AG
Application type
Works to TPO trees
Scale / size
Small
District
Cambridge City Council

Planning application dates

Date validated
21 July 2026
Last date for comments
14 August 2026
Target decision date
15 September 2026

Applicant and agent

Agent
Shelford Tree Service Ltd
Agent address
15 Cambridge Road Newton Cambridge CB227PL Gb

Planning decision

Statutory period
56 days

Additional information

Documents
8

Site constraints

Checking the site
2/3
Council recordsAppealsFlood risk

Designations at the address point. Ones next to the site may also apply.

  • Conservation area: West Cambridge
  • Tree Preservation Order: Ref 21/2018Protected tree on or next to this site
  • Flood zone 1: Low probability (rivers and sea)
Also checked, none recorded (22)

flood storage areas, listed buildings, Article 4 directions, green belt, scheduled monuments, World Heritage Sites, World Heritage Site buffer zones, registered parks and gardens, registered battlefields, Heritage at Risk entries, nutrient neutrality catchments, national parks, National Landscapes, SSSIs, Special Areas of Conservation, Special Protection Areas, Ramsar sites, ancient woodland, national nature reserves, local nature reserves, heritage coasts and brownfield registers.

A guide only, from official open data; it is not a planning search. Flood zones cover rivers and sea, not surface water.

Data © Crown copyright and others · sources and licences

Contains public sector information from planning.data.gov.uk (MHCLG and local planning authorities), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

© Historic England 2026. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. The Historic England GIS Data contained in this material was obtained on 2026-11-03. The most publicly available up to date Historic England GIS Data can be obtained from HistoricEngland.org.uk.

© Natural England copyright. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

© Environment Agency copyright and/or database right 2026. All rights reserved. Flood Map for Planning, Open Government Licence v3.0.

Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

Source: Cambridge

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