A protected tree and outdoor seating are in this week’s roundup of planning applications and decisions at Bracknell Forest and Wokingham Borough councils.

You can view each one by going to the council’s planning website and searching for the application number provided.

Bracknell Forest: protected tree saved (20/00119/TRTPO)

A large oak tree on a Bracknell estate has been saved thanks to a ruling by a government planning inspector.

The North Lake estate management company wanted permission to fell the oak on Gaisnborough in Birch Hill.

But while the planning inspector agreed that it had suffered ‘dieback’ they said felling the tree would damage the area.

The inspector RM Nicholson said: “There is no dispute that the tree has experienced dieback and decline but the tree remains a functioning feature tree in the landscape.”

They added: “The tree is a significant landscape feature that makes an important contribution to the character and appearance of the area and its removal would have a harmful impact on the local landscape.”

The inspector also said there was not enough evidence to justify felling the tree. They said they had taken into account objections from local residents.

Bracknell Forest: protected tree felled (24/00030/TRTPO)

A tree protected by a preservation order on a recreation ground in Warfield can be felled, Bracknell Forest Council has ruled – as it was causing a crack in a neighbour’s house.

A crack first appeared in the house in 2018 as a result of subsidence cause by nearby trees on Wicks Green recreation ground, according to a survey by risk surveyors GHG and opened further in 2021.

Council tree officers agreed that removal of the tree is justified to prevent further damage.

Bracknell Forest: NatWest (24/00211/FUL)

NatWest has applied for planning permission to remove a cash machine from its branch on High Street in Bracknell town centre. The bank announced earlier this month that it plans to close the branch in September.

Bracknell Forest: School solar panel (24/00255/PAS)

Ascot Heath primary school has applied for planning permission to install a solar panel on its roof.

A planning statement says the panel would not cause any ‘glare effect’ on neighbours houses as it is screened by a ‘substantial hedge’.

Wokingham Borough: Restaurant seating (240997)

Waterfall restaurant in Earley needs the council’s permission to keep its outdoor seating area. The Indian restaurant has already paved the land on The Parade and begun using it as a seating area.

But it has now applied for retrospective planning permission to use the land for seating.

A planning statement submitted to Wokingham Borough Council says: “The application is retrospective as the works have been implemented and the council have become aware that as the hardstanding in its own right may have been acceptable, the use as a seating area requires to have a formal approval for this arrangement.”