On Thursday 15 November 2012, DCLG's website was replaced by a new Inside Government section of www.gov.uk. So the address for the DCLG website is now www.gov.uk/dclg. GOV.UK replaced Directgov and Business Link in October 2012. See below for a list of updated websites, links and documents relating to tree preservation orders.
Here are some new links:
Tree preservation orders
Tree preservation orders webpage – https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/improving-the-energy-efficiency-of-buildings-and-using-planning-to-protect-the-environment/supporting-pages/tree-preservation-orders.
A Word version of the 2012 model is now on the GOV.UK website at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tree-preservation-orders-guidance, along with Tree Preservation Orders: A Guide to the Law and Good Practice and its 2009 addendum.
The leaflet Protected Trees: A guide to tree preservation procedures is at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tree-preservation-procedures-guidance. This is now published online only and it is not necessary to get the Department’s permission to download, print or distribute it.
Main changes to the tree preservation order system in England from 6 April 2012 – https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tree-preservation-orders-changes-to-the-system-in-england
2010 TPO consultation documents – https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/tree-preservation-orders
There is also a Resolving neighbour disputes page at https://www.gov.uk/how-to-resolve-neighbour-disputes
2012 Regulations
New secondary legislation, the Town and Country Planning (Tree Preservation) (England) Regulations 2012, came into effect on 6 April 2012.
The Department has not yet made any final decisions about publishing revised detailed guidance, model letters and model notices currently contained in Tree Preservation Orders: A Guide to the Law and Good Practice and its 2009 addendum. While the guidance has not been cancelled, in the light of the new regulations parts of these documents are out of date.
Also, please note that a correction slip relating to typos in the original printed edition of the new regulations has been issued. These errors of course remain in the ‘Original Print PDF’ version but errors to regulation 14(1)(a)(vii) and article 2(2) in the Schedule have been corrected in the other electronic versions of the regulations available at www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/605/contents/made. Article 2(2) in the Schedule has also been corrected in the Word version of the new model. However, the correction slip is unable to insert the word ‘uprooting’ into article 3(2)(b) of the Schedule to the Regulations. So ‘uprooting’ is not present in the article in any of the documents on the legislation website. Please note article 3(2)(b) in the Word version of the new model order has been amended to include ‘uprooting’.
In the light of these matters, those who have concerns about the validity of Orders made since 6 April 2012 may wish to seek their own legal advice. Regulations 13 and 3(1) may be particularly relevant.
In addition, there is an uncorrected typo (‘is’ instead of ‘it’) near the end of Regulation 4(1).