Plans to improve an installation which supplies gas to Pudsey and surrounding areas have been refused by Leeds City Council due to the removal of trees on the site.
Northern Gas Networks applied to out up a new palisade fence, new vehicle entrance and new pedestrian access, and the replacement of existing double doors and frame to the building, off Kent Road in Pudsey.
Northern Gas argued the removal of 11 established trees as well as other trees on the site was driven by regulatory requirements and safety considerations. They said: “Tree roots can grow and exert pressure on underground pipelines…”
But a council planning officer’s report refusing the application stated: “The proposal is not considered to amount to a policy compliant form of development due to the extent of the tree loss and the significant visual harm it will have on the setting of the heritage buildings and boundary wall as well as the wider street-scene.
“The justification provided by the applicant is duly noted but without fuller data … or the proposal to employ less harmful methods the LPA are unable to offer support for the extent of the tree loss.
“Whilst the Applicant has suggested tree replacement off site, this would not overcome the immediate visual harm to this section of Kent Road through the loss of the important verdant features which play a robust variable in the characteristics of this area.”
The plans can be viewed in full here.