A man has been ordered to stump up £4,600 after illegal works took place at a protected woodland in Weeley.

Allen Chapman, 61, of Chich Place, Meadow View, St Osyth, admitted breaching a wood-land Tree Preservation Order (TPO) when he appeared before Colchester Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, 31 July.

The charges related to unauthorised works to the protected woodland on land at Hillside House and Cravenwood Close, Weeley, in September 2024.

The court heard Mr Chapman was in breach of the order by permitting works to take place on his land.

A TPO is a legal protection issued by a local planning authority to safeguard trees or woodlands that are considered important to the local environment.

It is an offence to fell or carry out work on such trees without the council’s consent, with the order also protecting seedlings, saplings and immature trees.

The court heard that trenches had been dug, tree roots destroyed, an area of woodland floor had been cleared and that gravel had been spread on the land.

The unauthorised works resulted in large open areas in places where natural growth and regeneration would have been taking place, as well as the removal of young trees and seedlings, while compaction from heavy machinery and the gravel surface would have in-hibited germination of seedling trees, compromising the health and vitality of the wood-land.

The case was brought by Tendring District Council, which had put the woodland Tree Preservation Order (TPO) in place.

In mitigation, the court heard that Mr Chapman carried out the work to improve drainage on the site. He claimed he did not realise he needed to consult the council beforehand, but said he would do so in future.

In sentencing, the chairman of the bench said: “We know that you did know there were TPOs in place when the works were carried out. We also know that you have done the works for drainage purposes.”

Mr Chapman was fined £2,000, ordered to pay the Council’s prosecution costs of £1,800, and a victim surcharge of £800. The court noted the fine would have been higher had it not been for his guilty plea.

Adrian Smith, TDC’s Cabinet Member for Environment, said: “This case sends a clear mes-sage that we take breaches of Tree Preservation Orders seriously.

“Protected trees are vital to the character, biodiversity, and environmental health of our district.

“We are pleased with the outcome of this prosecution, which reinforces our commitment to upholding environmental protections.

“We hope it also encourages residents and developers alike to engage with us before car-rying out any work on protected trees.

“I’d like to thank our officers for their diligence in investigating this matter and bringing it forward for prosecution.”

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