Proposed by Alliance MLA Peter McReynolds the Bill intends to strengthen primary legislation to provide greater legal protection for Northern Ireland’s oldest and most significant trees and woods.

Figures from the Woodland Trust estimate that Northern Ireland is one of the least wooded regions in Europe with less than 9 per cent tree cover.

The Bill proposes updating the Planning Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 to make it an offence to cause or permit the breach of a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) with further requirements to plant and maintain replacement trees if a TPO is violated.

The Bill would also amend the 2011 Act to the effect that planning permission would be refused where the grant of planning permission would result in the loss or deterioration of ancient or long-established woodland or the deterioration of an “ancient tree” that is subject to a TPO.

The new designation of “ancient tree” is to de defined by criteria published by the Ancient Tree Forum and the Woodland Trust and would ensure such trees receive dedicate protection.

That protection would include the removal of permitted development rights for development that would affect ancient or long established woodland with a 15 metre exclusion zone required.

The Bill will now pass to committee stage.

Sinn Féin MLA for West Tyrone Paul Boggs expressed Sinn Féin’s support for the “intentions of the Bill in principle”, but stated that, “we need to ensure it is fit for purpose and has no unintended consequences with regards to planning and delivering necessary infrastructure that the public needs going forward.”