Southampton Airport is appealing against Southampton City Council’s rejection of plans to fell some tall trees on the southern edge of Marlhill Copse.

While effectively agreeing to various tree works at airport-owned Marlhill Copse, a council Planning and Rights of Way Panel on February 23 2001 [minutes, pdf] refused consent for felling Monterey Pine and Corsican Pine, and tall “broadleaf trees” in what’s snappily known as ‘compartment 1(a)(1)’ – a strip of land, described in the 29-page ‘grounds of appeal document’ [pdf]  as “a sliver of the woodland” which “represents a very small part of the woodland area at the edge of the main woodland block” (p22, 9.14).

At the time council minutes recorded: “Panel Members considered that the refusal to grant consent to the felling of the Monterey Pines and Corsican Pines in compartment 1a(i) was justified because the loss of the trees would fail to secure the maintenance of the special character of the woodland, would be harmful to the visual amenities of the local area and would fail to preserve the character and appearance of the conservation area.”

But the appeal document (p25, 9.28) alleges that “[o]fficers took an incorrect approach to characterising the special character of the woodland and the woodland character of the area by looking too narrowly at Compartment 1(a)(i) in isolation, and not as part of the wider woodland protected by the TPO [Tree Preservation Order].”

“...the proposed works are good forestry practice, endorsed by the Forestry Commission's approval of the WMP [Woodland Management Plan] for Marlhill Copse and Plan of Operations,” says the appeal document (9.27)

The full ‘grounds for appeal’ document, along with 76 supporting documents, is on the council’s planning portal.

Meanwhile AXO (Airport eXpansion Opposition Southampton) offers its analysis of the situation on its website, and Southampton Friends of the Earth advise that comment can be made on the appeal to the Planning Inspectorate quoting reference APP/TPO/D1780/8479, along with your name and address, to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - they suggest by December 22.