FOI request (FOIR-629960396)

Tree removals and removal requests for insurance or building damage reasons

Requested Thu 11 July 2024
Responded Fri 09 August 2024

Trees that are near buildings are often threatened by requests for removal. These requests normally come from homeowners or property owners or their insurance companies after trees are alleged to be causing damage. In many cases these trees pre-date the buildings that are being affected.

I would like to understand more about how this issue affects your local authority and the trees you are responsible for (that is, those you are responsible for maintaining, or are on your land, owned by you, and so on).

In particular, I would like to know, over the past 10 years:

1. The locations of trees removed by your authority due to property or infrastructure damage, ideally accompanied by their species and the date of removal where possible (locations via GIS data, What3Words, OS coordinates, or addresses as you find easiest).

2. How many of/which of these trees were removed due to claims or requests from insurance companies?

3. How much the council paid to remove each tree (if this can be attributed per removal, or how much the council spent on tree removal each financial year if not)?

4. How much the council paid out in insurance claims for tree damage to properties (individual claim values preferred, but an aggregate value may be acceptable if the council considers the individual values to be exempt from disclosure)?

5. The number of trees where removal has been requested, but was either refused, an alternative solution found, or the situation is still ongoing; any breakdown that can be provided (similar to above, that is, species and location) would be appreciated.

Please follow the following principles when considering this request:

a. Data at an individual tree level is preferred, but where you consider this cannot be disclosed due to commercial or legal agreements (for example, insurance claims, contractor works) then aggregate data either annually or (worst case) over the whole period may be acceptable.

b. Some data is better than no data; for example, if data is only available for the last 5 years then that is better than refusing the request.

Response

Hastings Borough Council holds no information in respect of this request.