1. I am writing to request the most recent shape files related to Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs) in a recognized vector format. Currently, our ability to analyze TPO-designated areas is limited by insufficient detail, and access to these files in vector format is essential for accurate mapping and planning purposes.
All trees subject to a Tree Preservation Order and boundaries for the Borough Conservation Areas can be viewed on the Councils publicly facing map: Protected Tree Map. In accordance with the Town and Country Planning (Tree Protection) (England) Regulations (2012), the TPO orders visible on the map include all the necessary information that the Local Authority is required to include within each order:
Form of tree preservation order
3.—(1) An order shall be in the form set out in the Schedule to these Regulations or in a form substantially to the same effect and—
(a)shall specify the trees, groups of trees or woodlands to which it relates;
(b)where the order relates to a group of trees, shall specify the number of trees of each species in the group;
(c)shall indicate the position of the trees, groups of trees or woodlands, as the case may be, by reference to a map; and
(d)shall include information as to—
(i)whether or not the order was confirmed;
(ii)any variation of the order; and
(iii)any revocation of the order.
Providing files to individual consultants may prove misleading as the TPO Register is updated weekly as new TPOs are made, TPOs confirmed and TPOs rescinded. The only up-to-date copies of this information are the online map and the backup. Reliance on out of date shape files is to be discouraged as this may lead to prosecutions where new or modified TPOs are made that do not appear on the shape files provided.