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Coleshill Road Ansley Common Nuneaton

2026/0201/TPOTree Preservation Order Works ApplicationRefused
Prior approval

Refused on 6 November 2026

Delegated (officer decision)4 reasons for refusal

Proposal

The proposed tree works are associated with the installation of a 16.6km long below-ground pipeline from the Oldbury DSR (Distribution Service Reservoir) to the Meriden DSR. The pipeline installation will comprise permitted development under Schedule 2, Part 13, Class A(a) of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 (GDPO). The proposed scheme has been confirmed as not Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) development by all of the affected Local Planning Authorities: North Warwickshire Borough Council (reference: PRE/2025/0106), Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council (reference: 227412), Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council (reference: PL/2025/01460/EIASCR) and Coventry City Council (reference PL/2025/0001477/SCR). Where the proposed route crosses Coleshill Road, East of Ansley Common, the proposed route was initially going to be drilled to avoid impacting the Seven Foot Wood and highway. However, due to the potential for underground coal mining to have been undertaken in the area, the risk of encountering voids with directional drilling is substantial. Whilst there may be some mitigation measures (drill and grout) that could be undertaken to reduce the risks proposed by this method, the plant, equipment and working area required to do so is the equivalent to that required for ‘open cut’ installation methods i.e. removal of trees/vegetation. A trenchless installation method in this location has therefore been discounted to avoid risk associated with historic coal mining. The requirement for tree removal in the TPO areas area to facilitate the pipeline installation is as follows: - South of Coleshill Road – 9 individual oak trees (marked on site) and various understorey, including holly and hawthorn, comprising approximately 0.0391ha. In addition, Severn Trent needs to remove the lowest branch of the oak tree at the western edge of the working area. - North of Coleshill Road – 14 silver birch, 1 beech, 1 goat willow, 2 ash, 1 field maple, 1 sycamore, 1 hawthorn, comprising approximately 0.0244ha - Around old Railway Line – 2 silver birch, 6 goat willow, 5 hawthorn, plus a number of smaller elder and hawthorn scrub comprising approximately 0.0432ha

Received
12 March 2026
Decision level
Delegated (officer decision)
Agent
Fisher German LLP
  1. Received12 Mar
  2. Validated12 Mar
  3. Consult.5 Apr
  4. Target
  5. Decided6 Nov

Decided in 239 days (council typically 70)

About this application

This is a tree application at Coleshill Road Ansley Common Nuneaton. North Warwickshire has handled 34 applications of this type. This one was decided in 239 days, 24 weeks longer than North Warwickshire's typical decision time. There are no previous applications recorded at this address.

91% of trees applications at North Warwickshire Borough Council were approved. Across all application types, the council typically decides in about 10 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. The proposed works would result in the removal of 110 trees protected by a Tree Preservation Order. Collectively, these trees make a significant positive contribution to the visual amenity and woodland character of Seven Foot Wood, Coleshill Road and the former railway embankment. Their removal would fragment the established woodland, interrupt the continuity of canopy cover and open views through areas which presently form a cohesive wooded feature. The resulting harm to the character, appearance and amenity value of the area would be substantial and long-lasting and would conflict with Policy LP14 of the North Warwickshire Local Plan 2021.
  2. It has not been demonstrated that this harm is necessary or unavoidable. The applicant's original justification that historic mining constraints prevented alternative routing is no longer advanced.
  3. Whilst the applicant now relies upon topographical, operational and cost considerations, insufficient evidence has been submitted to demonstrate why alternative alignments which may avoid or materially reduce the loss of protected trees are not reasonably achievable. The proposed replacement planting would not adequately compensate for the immediate and long-term loss of established tree cover, woodland structure and visual amenity. Consequently, it has not been satisfactorily demonstrated that the proposed works represent the least harmful reasonably practicable option.
  4. Notwithstanding the substantial weight afforded to the benefits of the wider water infrastructure project, the proposal has failed to demonstrate that the resulting harm to protected trees has been avoided or minimised. The proposal therefore conflicts with Policy LP14 of the North Warwickshire Local Plan 2021 and does not accord with National Decision-Making Policy N2 of the National Planning Policy Framework (2026).

From the council's decision notice.

Application details

Application type
Tree Preservation Order Works Application
Scale / size
Small

Planning application dates

Date validated
12 March 2026
Consultation expiry
5 April 2026
Consultation start
13 March 2026
Consultation end
5 April 2026
Application expires
7 May 2026

Applicant and agent

Agent
Fisher German LLP
Architect profile
FISHER GERMAN LIMITED

Planning decision

Case officer
Jacob Baldwin
Statutory period
56 days

Additional information

Documents
3

Site constraints

Checking the site
2/3
Council recordsAppealsFlood risk

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

  • Article 4 direction: Borough wide
  • Brownfield land register: Chapel End Social Club, Coleshill Road, HartshillRegister site at or near this address
  • Flood zone 1: Low probability (rivers and sea)

Not published by this council, so not checked: tree preservation orders. Ask the council if these matter.

Also checked, none recorded (21)

flood storage areas, conservation areas, listed buildings, 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 and heritage coasts.

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: North Warwickshire

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