TREES AND E-GOVERNMENT

The Isle of Wight Council’s trees on-line has been cited as an example of Local Authority ‘best practice’ in research commissioned by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

The e-government initiative is part of the national Modernising Government agenda an aim of which is to ensure that all services which can be provided electronically are provided in this way by the end of 2005.

The Isle of Wight Council’s Tree Section along with support from the ICT department is at the forefront of the Council’s delivery of e-government services. Following the digitisation of the Tree Section records as part of the TPO Review project, it is now possible to see the extent of tree protection (under TPO legislation) over the whole Island. Each TPO has been given its own unique reference number in the following format TPO/1986/23 (ie. TPO/Year/Number). Please use this reference number format when searching for TPOs on-line.

There are four different types of TPO protection:


Individual trees	Shown by a green dot surrounded by a green circle. Individual trees are plotted as points. Each tree is given a number and its species is identified, eg. T1 - English Oak (Quercus robur).

Groups of trees	Shown by a violet cross-hatched area with a dashed outline. Groups of trees are plotted as polygons. Each group is given a number, eg G1.

Areas of trees	Shown by a blue hatched area with a dotted outline. Areas of trees are plotted as polygons. Each area is given a number, eg A1.

Woodlands	Shown by a green hatched area with a solid outline. Woodlands are plotted as polygons. Each woodland is given a number, eg. W1.

If you want to find out if your trees are protected you can search the map for your address or, if you know the TPO’s reference number, by searching the records you can see a digital copy of it. The digitised TPOs are in PDF format and, once you have found a protected tree on the map, the TPO can be viewed by clicking on the ‘show TPO documents’ link.

Please note: Due to checking, plotting and uploading delays the maps cannot be considered instantly up-to-date, please phone the Tree team for a definitive search.

However, the digital map only shows trees that are protected by Tree Preservation Orders and Conservation Areas. Trees can also be protected by inclusion in planning conditions.
When using the map ensure that you have the TPO and Conservation layers applied.
Planning condition checks can be made by calling the Tree Team.

Please contact [email protected] tel: 01983 823893 for definitive and up to date information on tree protection, including endorsed copies of TPOs.

Page last updated on: 11/12/2012