A LANDSCAPING firm has been fined £10,000 after pleading guilty to destroying more than 20 protected trees in the Legh Road conservation area.

Cheshire East Council brought the prosecution against Warburtons Landscapes after receiving a tip-off that trees were being felled in the rear garden of the Old Croft, on Legh Road.

The Guardian carried the story on the front page in November 2009 after the trees had been felled at the house that used to be owned by renowned Knutsford architect Richard Harding-Watt.

Mr Harding-Watt designed many of the homes on Croft Lane and Legh Road and also built the Gaskell Memorial Tower and The King’s Coffee House.

A subsequent investigation by the authority’s tree officer found that protected species including oak, scots pine, yew and holly had been cut down and uprooted.

Other trees, including a yew, had been pruned without permission and the roots of a mature beech, holly and sycamore were damaged during the landscaping works in the autumn of last year.

The case was brought following an investigation involving officers from the council’s heritage and design and planning enforcement teams.

Warburtons Landscapes pleaded guilty when it appeared before Macclesfield Magistrates Court on Friday, July 9, charged with offences under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

The firm, based at Chelford Road, Ollerton, was also ordered to pay £200 costs.

Clr Jamie Macrae, cabinet member with responsibility for prosperity, said: “Our residents quite rightly place a high value on the quality of their environment, of which trees and woodlands play a major part.

“Cheshire East Council has a duty to protect all our important trees to ensure that these species are not lost or damaged needlessly.

“Regrettably, the severe damage caused as a direct result of this firm flouting the law has had a significant impact on the amenity of an historic part of Knutsford.

“This prosecution serves as a clear warning that the council takes its responsibility to protect the environment very seriously and we will not hesitate to take enforcement action whenever breaches of legislation occur.

“The size of the fine imposed in this case demonstrates that the courts take the offence equally seriously.”

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