A 25-0643-TP - Blythwood Trees Supplementary Report
Renfrewshire Council · 20 January 2026
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Planning and Climate Change Policy Board: 20 January 2026 Supplementary Report by Chief Planning Officer Reference No 25/0643/TP Application Type Treeworks (TPO) Proposal Treeworks comprising of crown reduction of 5 trees, removal of 2 trees and associated maintenance works Location Ground between Normandy Hotel and Blythswood Industrial Estate, West Lodge Road, Renfrew Ward 1 - Renfrew North and Braehead Community Council Renfrew Community Council Applicant Mr Ewan Mackay Recommendation Grant Subject to Conditions All plans, reports, documents and representations relating to this application can be viewed in full online at https://pl-bs.renfrewshire.gov.uk/online- applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=T0TYU5MWKD400 This supplementary report should be read together with the original report of handling considered by the Planning and Climate Change Policy Board on the 4 November 2025. Appendix 1 details the original report of handling. Background The Planning and Climate Change Policy Board at its meeting on 4 November 2025 considered the attached report of handling and decided to continue the consideration of the report to allow for the applicant to engage with the local community regarding the proposal and for the submission of further independent reports relating to the application. Additional Information Following the continuation of this application on the 4 November 2025, it is the Planning Authority’s understanding that the applicant has not undertaken any specific engagement with the community and no further independent surveys have been submitted to the Council for consideration. However, it should be noted that there is no requirement within the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997, the Town and Country Planning (Tree Preservation Order and Trees in Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Regulations 2010 or the Council’s Tree Policy for community engagement to be undertaken and the lack of such engagement is not a material consideration in the assessment of a treeworks application. Furthermore, the tree survey submitted by the applicant was carried out by a qualified arborist and there is no requirement within the relevant legislation or the Council’s Tree Policy for the Planning Authority to insist on additional surveys to be undertaken to verify the findings of the initial survey. A detailed assessment of the treeworks is included in the attached report of handling which was presented on the 4 November 2025. Recommendation It is recommended that the application is granted subject to conditions for the reasons set out in the report of handling which was considered by the Planning and Climate Change Policy Board on 4 November 2025. Schedule of Plans Reviewed
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Drawing Number Revision Drawing/Document Title - Tree Plan - Tree Survey For further information please contact James McCafferty, Development Standards Team, Email: james.mccafferty@renfrewshire.gov.uk
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Planning and Climate Change Policy Board: 4 November 2025 Report by Chief Planning Officer Reference No 25/0643/TP Application Type Treeworks (TPO) Proposal Treeworks comprising of crown reduction of 5 trees, removal of 2 trees and associated maintenance works Location Ground Between Normandy Hotel and Blythswood Industrial Estate, West Lodge Road, Renfrew Ward 1 - Renfrew North and Braehead Community Council Renfrew Community Council Applicant Mr Ewan Mackay Recommendation Grant Subject to Conditions All plans, reports, documents and representations relating to this application can be viewed in full online at https://pl-bs.renfrewshire.gov.uk/online- applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=T0TYU5MWKD400 The report is presented to the Planning and Climate Change Policy Board in line with the Council's Scheme of Delegation. In this instance, Cllrs Shaw, Hughes and Campbell have requested that the application be determined by the Planning and Climate Change Policy Board due to local interest in tree conservation, particularly in the Blythswood area. Proposal This application seeks treeworks consent for works to nineteen trees on land off Inchinnan Road in Renfrew. The treeworks would consist of the following: ▪ Tree 4411 (lime) - Crown reduce by 30% & crown lift to 5m above ground level ▪ Tree 4413 (lime) - Remove basal suckers back to main trunk ▪ Tree 4414 (lime) - Remove ▪ Tree 4415 (lime) - Crown clean ▪ Tree 4416 (lime) - Crown reduce by 40% ▪ Tree 4417 (lime) - Remove basal suckers back to main trunk ▪ Tree 4418 (lime) - Remove basal suckers back to main trunk & crown clean ▪ Tree 4419 (lime) - Remove basal suckers back to main trunk & crown clean ▪ Tree 4420 (lime) - Remove basal suckers back to main trunk ▪ Tree 4421 (lime) - Remove basal suckers back to main trunk ▪ Tree 4422 (lime) - Remove basal suckers back to main trunk ▪ Tree 4423 (lime) - Remove basal suckers back to main trunk ▪ Tree 4424 (lime) - Remove basal suckers back to main trunk ▪ Tree 4425 (lime) - Crown reduce by 30% ▪ Tree 4426 (lime) - Crown reduce by 30% ▪ Tree 4427 (beech) - Remove ▪ Tree 4428 (beech) - Crown clean ▪ Tree 4429 (beech) - Crown clean ▪ Tree 4430 (beech) - Crown reduce by 25%, crown lift lowest eastern limb to trunk Site Description The application site is located off Inchinnan Road and is currently used for the storage of caravans and associated equipment. The Tree Preservation Order (TPO) in question was confirmed in 2004 and covers a mix of mainly deciduous specimens found in the grounds of the Normandy Hotel. The TPO also
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covers two rows of lime trees that run parallel to the section of Inchinnan Road that provides access to Renfrew Golf Club as well as several deciduous specimens that are found at either end of the easternmost row of limes. Pre-Application Consultation with Officers The Scottish Government strongly encourages constructive pre-application discussions between prospective applicants and the planning authority. Pre-application discussions seek to identify key planning considerations at an early stage and help inform what supporting information is required to support a subsequent application. No pre-application discussions have taken place. Negotiated Improvements No changes have been negotiated. Site History The planning history for the site is as follows; if no history is listed then planning has no record of previous applications for the site. Application No: 19/0242/PP Description: Change of use from Class 1 (Retail) to composite Class 1 (Retail non-food) and Class 6 (Storage & Distribution) Decision: Grant Application No: 19/0529/PP Description: Change of Use from Class 1 (retail non-food) to partial Class 1 (members retail food store), Class 4 (processing) and Class 6 (storage and distribution) and external alterations Decision: Grant subject to conditions Application No: 24/0344/PP Description: Use of land for storage (Class 6), erection of fencing and associated works Decision: Grant subject to conditions Application No: 05/0919/PP Description: The use of the existing car park within the Blythswood Retail Park for overflow car park for the Normandy Hotel. (Retrospective) Decision: Grant subject to conditions Consultations No Consultations Required. Representations The application has been publicised in line with the requirements of the relevant legislation. The following representations were received: ▪ Object - 11 ▪ Support - 0 ▪ Neutral - 0 The issues raised can be summarised as follows: 1. The works would harm wildlife 2. The works would harm the visual amenity of the trees 3. The trees make a positive contribution to the character of the wider area
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4. The amenity of the area has already been harmed by the caravan storage site 5. Approval of this consent would set a precedent 6. The trees have not been properly managed 7. The limes are of significant historical value 8. The tree surgeon who wrote the report stands to benefit from the works 9. The tree surgeon's report is out of date 10. The tree surgeon's report is limited and contradicts itself 11. Trees reduce air pollution and flood risk along with other environmental benefits Policy Context In making any determination under the Planning Acts, regard is to be had to the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise. In this instance the Development Plan consists of National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) and the Renfrewshire Local Development Plan (2021) (LDP). The following provisions of the Development Plan are considered relevant to the determination of this application: National Planning Framework 4 ▪ Policy 6 - Forestry, woodland and trees Full details relating to the policies of the NPF4 can be found online. Renfrewshire Local Development Plan ▪ Policy ENV2 - Natural Heritage Full details relating to the policies of the LDP can be found online. Other relevant policies and guidance ▪ Delivering the Environment Strategy - Trees, Woodlands and Forestry ▪ Renfrewshire Planning & Development Tree Policy - 2022 Submitted Reports and Assessments The following reports and assessments were submitted in support of the application: ▪ Tree Survey - The survey sets out the arborist's professional opinion of the condition of the trees, details actions that should be taken in short term and also recommends longer term management aims. The tree survey submitted as part of the application is from March 2024 and states that a review is required in April 2025. However, the applicant has provided a letter dated October 2025 in which the tree surgeon stands by the findings of the original report. Planning Assessment Both Policy 6 of NPF4 and Policy ENV2 of the Local Development Plan outline a commitment to protect and improve tree cover for its nature conservation value while the relevant New Development Supplementary Guidance encourages the positive management of trees. Similarly, Renfrewshire's Planning & Development Tree Policy recognises the value of tree cover but states that felling can be justified where the application is accompanied by a report from an arborist confirming that the trees are or could become a danger to people or property. It is proposed that two trees are felled. The first, tree 4414, is a lime located within the row of limes that run along the section of Inchinnan Road that leads to Renfrew Golf Club. The arborist's report notes that the tree has extensive decay within the main trunk and
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recommends the specimen is either pollarded to 8 metres or removed. The applicant has confirmed that they wish to remove the specimen. It is not considered that pollarding this one specimen, that currently measures 19 metres in height, to 8 metres in height would be an appropriate action to take given no other limes in the row would be subjected to the same treatment. Pollarding to 8 metres would dramatically reduce the contribution this specimen makes to the wider line of lime trees and would require continued pollarding every few years so the tree would never return to its current size. Furthermore, pollarding would not remove the possibility that the tree would need to be felled in the future if its condition deteriorates further. On balance, it is accepted that felling the tree is an appropriate course of action given its condition and the issues with pollarding that have been set out above. This would remove the danger a failing tree with extensive decay could pose to both people and property. A condition can be added to secure compensatory planting to ensure the integrity of the TPO is not compromised over the longer term. The condition would require one tree, in the form of an extra heavy standard lime, to be planted in the gap created when the tree is felled to ensure the long-term continuity of the row of limes. In addition, it is considered prudent to require the planting of an additional heavy standard specimen elsewhere at the site to offset the loss of a mature specimen and to help increase overall tree cover. The arborist's report also recommends that tree 4427, a beech, measuring 16 metres in height is removed as it is growing through and interfering with an 8-metre-high telecoms pole and associated wiring. Given the low height of the tree in relation to the telecoms pole, any attempt to reduce the crown so that it no longer interferes with the equipment is likely to create a stump that would measure less than 8 metres in height with minimal branches or foliage remaining. The removal of this specimen is therefore accepted as a means to avoid damage to property. Compensatory planting in the form of two replacement specimens can again be sought via an appropriately worded planning condition to help preserve and enhance tree coverage at the location in the long term. Four limes - 4411, 4416, 4425 and 4426 - as well as one beech - 4430 - would be crown reduced by between 25% and 40%. The crown of tree 4411 would also be lifted to 5 metres above ground level while the east facing limb of tree 4430 would be reduced back to the main trunk. The arborist's report identifies several deficiencies with these specimens, including cavities, decay, old pruning wounds, canker and deadwood within the crowns. These works would improve the shape of the specimens as well as help safeguard their long-term future as addressing deficiencies now could avoid the trees being lost if their condition worsens. Finally, the remainder of the works involve the removal of basal suckers from nine specimens as well as clearing damaged or dead wood from the crowns of five specimens. The removal of basal suckers would help improve the vigour and health of the specimens in question as extra energy and nutrients would be directed to the main body of these trees. Removing damaged or dead wood would help reduce the danger posed to people and property but would not impact overall tree cover or reduce the contribution the trees make to the overall amenity of the area. The historic value of the trees that are subject to the TPO is acknowledged. However, as set out in the Council's Tree Policy it is sometimes necessary to carry out works or fell trees where there is a justified need to do so. The removal of two trees would be offset by compensatory planting to ensure the integrity of the row of limes and tree cover more broadly is preserved and enhanced while the other works would address deficiencies and
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should help ensure the contribution the trees make to the amenity of the area is protected in the longer term. Representations Given existing tree cover in the wider area, it is not considered that the works would have a significant impact on biodiversity, air quality or flood risk. Compensatory planting would ensure there is a net increase in tree cover, and therefore no loss of habitat, over the longer term which aligns with policy requirements. In addition, it would remain the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that all other relevant and applicable legislation, including The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, is complied with as the works are undertaken. In respect of the claim that the application would set a precedent, each application is assessed on its own merits. The impact that the nearby caravan storage sites have on the amenity of the wider area is not a material consideration in the determination of this treeworks application. The fact that the trees may not have been appropriately managed in the past is also not a material consideration. In respect of the claim that the tree surgeon who surveyed the trees stands to benefit from the works, the report has been produced by a qualified arborist and it is not guaranteed that they would be chosen to carry out the works. Finally, the tree survey is considered sufficiently detailed to allow the assessment of this application. The works are considered to strike a balance between carrying out necessary remedial works and protecting people and property while also preserving the long-term future of the individual trees and tree cover at the site more broadly. Other works discussed in the report are done so in the context of setting long-term tree management objectives. These have not been discussed with the applicant or assessed in this report. Conclusion In view of the above, it is considered that the proposal would accord with the relevant provisions of the Development Plan. There are no other material considerations. Consent should therefore be granted subject to conditions. Recommendation Grant Subject to Conditions. Reason(s) for Recommendation 1. The proposal accords with the provisions of the Development Plan and there were no material considerations which outweighed the presumption in favour of development according with the Development Plan. Condition(s) 1. Within three months of the date of consent, details of the position and species of the two trees to be planted for each tree that is felled shall be submitted in writing to, and approved by, Renfrewshire Council as Planning Authority. The submission will also include a timetable for the replanting. The replacement tree planting shall thereafter be implemented in accordance with the agreed scheme and timetable. Any replacement trees that die or are removed, damaged or diseased within five years shall be replaced in the next planting season to the satisfaction of the Planning Authority. For the avoidance of doubt, the compensatory planting shall include the planting of one extra heavy standard lime in the space created by the removal of the existing lime while all other trees will be heavy standard broadleaf specimens.
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Reason: In the interests of natural heritage and continuity of tree cover in the area. Advisory Note(s) 1. None required. Schedule of Plans Reviewed Drawing Number Revision Drawing/Document Title - Tree Plan - Tree Survey For further information please contact James McCafferty, Development Standards Team, Email: james.mccafferty@renfrewshire.gov.uk