Agenda item

The Community Resources Manager introduced the report and highlighted the key points:

• The committee was asked to note that the unit cost of tree replacement had increased from £765.21 to £1,041.66 per tree.

• The unit cost of replacement tree planting had been held for the last nine years, but this costing could no longer be maintained, due to rising costs, and the relevant Retail Price Index increase to tree replacement had been applied. 

• The Committee noted that a complaint to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman by a Bristol resident regarding transparency around funding criteria and decision-making processes had been upheld in part. The Council agreed to ensure that the reasons for rejecting outline proposals at stage one meetings were clearly recorded and published on the Council’s website.

• At the end of June 2022 there was an overall sum of £35,991.42 general expenditure available to Area Committee 2.

• There was a total of £23,599.19 uncommitted Section 106 agreement monies available for AC2, of which £2,930.67 was designated specifically for tree planting and tree replacement.

• The Committee could see up to £39,000 CIL funding from Autumn 2022 and, if money is unallocated from undelivered past CIL-funded tree planting, that could increase the total to @£44,000. 

• There were concerns raised around outstanding funds that Members thought had already been allocated and officers advised that this was CIL funding from 2018 that hadn’t been utilised; They would look into this and provide an update at the next meeting.

ACTION: The Community Resources Manager to provide an update on the outstanding CIL funds from 2018 at the next meeting. 

The Tree Bristol Officer gave an overview of the Bristol Tree Planting projects and noted the funding available for each. It was noted that last year a Trees for Climate grant was received from DEFRA which resulted in 100 trees planted and the aim for this year was to double that figure and, suggestions on sites were welcomed.

Discussion points:

Members asked if the DEFRA grant funding could be used on Council owned sites and were advised that the grant was for private land but required permission.

It was suggested that Ashdown be used for tree planting and the officer confirmed that they were looking at creating new woodland at the bottom of the site and were in touch with the owner.

It was suggested that Horfield Common be used for tree planting and the officer confirmed that Area Committee 3 was looking at this site.

Members asked if trees that had been cut down and left with stumps would be replaced and were advised that this was picked up within the S106 funding; The stumps were left to hold the site and the team used a pinpoint map to allocate funding. 

Members raised the issue around health and safety/trip hazard and were advised to get in touch should they become aware of any tree stumps that needed replacing.

RESOLVED; to approve the funding of £2,083.22 to deliver the tree plantings set out and to additionally include allocation of the remaining S106 funds (£345.56) to support tree maintenance.