Hartlepool's Trees

Trees are of vital importance to the landscape and are widely appreciated for enhancing the rural and urban environment, they make a positive contribution to the scenic character and diversity of the landscape, and provide a habitat for dependant wildlife populations.

Tree cover in Hartlepool is sparse when compared to other areas of the country; this said, there are examples of where trees have transformed the image of an area.  Notable in this respect are the tree-lined verges along the A689, which provide an attractive introduction to the town.  Occasionally, however, where they are located inappropriately, trees can become a constant source of complaint, and ultimately any positive benefits are lost.

Much of Hartlepool's existing mature urban trees are located within private gardens; and the Council, through the Development Control process, has some influence over these through a combination of measures including Conservation Areas, Tree Preservation Orders and planning conditions.  There are currently in excess of 170 individual or group Tree Preservation Orders in force in Hartlepool and the surrounding villages.

The Council's Arboricultural Officers, located within the Landscape Planning and Conservation Section, provide advice and information on trees in Conservation Areas, Tree Preservation Orders, planning considerations with regard to trees, and the High hedges legislation.

The Council has recently adopted a new up-to-date tree strategy which sets out its guiding principles on tree related issues and contains an action plan which seeks to acheive the objectives of retaining and protecting the borough's existing trees, caring for the borough's publicly owned trees, and increasing the number of trees in the borough.

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