Policy win: a balanced policy on Newcastle's trees

Newcastle's current tree policy runs to 2026 and is due for renewal. A motion brought to Full Council in July would have focused the review mainly on cases where trees cause problems for residents. Green councillor Lawrence Davies proposed an amendment, which council agreed. It keeps those concerns, including clearer standards for how the council responds to tree enquiries and a report back to councillors within six months, but sets them alongside the case for growing the city's tree cover.

The amendment asks the council to prioritise adapting streets and buildings, and sustainable maintenance such as crown lifting and reduction, ahead of removing trees. It notes that Newcastle's canopy cover is around 18 per cent against a European urban average nearer 30 per cent, and that tree cover is spread unevenly across the city, with 42 per cent of local areas graded as having high or highest tree inequality. It asks for a plan to close that gap, clearer standards for where and how new trees are planted, and street trees to be included in highway renewal schemes.

That sets the direction for the review. The new policy itself has still to be written.

Read the full amendment on the council website