Developers in Adur told to stop using unrealistic CGI showing non-existent trees or shrubs

Developers sometimes use ‘unrealistic’ images with numerous trees and plants that never materialise in real life, according to planning officers – something they say ‘brings the credibility of the planning system into dispute’.

ADC’s Planning Committee approved several changes on Monday, in an attempt to protect trees and promote new planting.

It comes after a developer felled 36 trees in Shoreham, despite telling the planning committee that they would be kept.

It later transpired that the developer had permission to remove the trees, but the planning committee was not consulted.

After Labour’s Jeremy Gardner raised the case, executive member for regeneration Steve Neocleous requested an investigation.

The resulting report highlights several examples where developers have not planted trees and shrubs as promised.

The report says that this ‘brings the credibility of the planning system into dispute’ and can sometimes be down to ‘unrealistic’ CGI – images which are used by developers to ‘sell their schemes to the planning committee and the local community’.

The planning committee has now approved a number of changes to prevent this going forwards.

This includes asking developers to remove planting from artist’s impressions if it ‘screens’ other details.

Planning officers will also ask developers to check if proposed tree planting is physically possible.

If developers want to remove trees after gaining planning permission, they will also be asked to submit another application to the council.

“Developers need to be more upfront with us at the application stage about what can be retained and what has to go,” James Appleton, head of planning, added.

Although this does not prevent developers from removing trees further down the line, planning officers hope the changes will encourage them to keep or plant trees if they previously committed to doing so.

ADC’s chairman Andy McGregor welcomed the new rules but asked if officers could enforce them, asking: “When do we actually have that enforcement, where they either have to put their hand in their pocket or they have to buy some land somewhere and plant some trees or pay for some kelp?”

Mr Appleton said that the council regularly warns developers for not meeting planning conditions but added that no prosecution action had been taken recently.