The public gallery erupted with cheers and applause as trees and woodland at a Gloucestershire beauty spot were given protection.

Stroud District Council voted to grant tree preservation orders for trees at the land known as Verney Fields in Stonehouse.

Such orders make it an offence to fell, prune, uproot or wilfully damage a tree without the council’s permission.

The land covers part of the western slope of Doverow Hill and is just to the north-east of the town’s railway station.

And it is well used with public rights of way across the site and the more elevated parts of the site offer far-reaching views.

Until recently the land was a mixture of low-use grazing, scrub, and secondary young woodland with prominent scattered trees around the site.

But after a change of ownership the council applied to protect the woodland. Officers said the trees there as they contribute positively and significantly to public amenity, landscape and ecology in the vicinity and beyond. Some 26 people wrote in favour of the TPO but there were also three objections.

Both district councillors for Stonehouse spoke in favour of the proposals at the development control committee meeting on November 14.

Councillor Nick Housden (I, Stonehouse) said it was disappointing the district council took over a year to assess the site for a TPO.

But he said he was very pleased to see the scheme before the committee and called on councillors to approve it.

And Councillor and former mayor Mattie Ross (Independent Left, Stonehouse) said everyone who lives in the town knows Doverow Hill and the magnificent trees there.

“People value it beyond anything else. You can see by the level of public opinion how people feel about it.

“It’s people from all over Stonehouse. What this landowner has done has really upset people. It seems so sad to me that they seem to be doing things without any sort of feelings for local people.”

Stonehouse town councillor John Callinan also argued the case for the TPOs to be granted.

Doverow is the name of the hill which most older residents are likely to recognise while Verney Fields is for younger people, he told the meeting.

He said they thought originally that the magnificent oaks there were covered by TPOs, but they were not.

“With the arrival of a new landowner in the town council we quickly realised that we needed to carry out a check on the status of our trees.

“We are very very grateful to see the report from your officers and agree with their comments and we would like to support the confirmation that the tree orders will be made permanent.”

The objectors to the TPO said the map was vague and includes areas of land in which there are no trees present.

They also said the confirmation of the TPO would prevent the landowners from using the protected trees for produce such as maple syrup, acorn related produce, and prevent unrestricted tree and woodland “maintenance”.

A statement was read out on behalf of Ms Linda Maiik who is the owner of most of the Verney Fields area subject to the TPO application.

The perceived threat to the trees was non-existent, she said. And felt the “imposition” of a TPO would “destroy a new business before it has been given the chance to flourish”.

Ms Maiik and her family have good experience in handling and maintaining groups of trees, the statement said.

“None of the trees on Ms Maiik’s land are at risk of being felled or intentionally damaged. Ms Maiik and their family spend a lot of time caring for trees and their presence was a reason for purchasing the land.

“They do not have any intentions of developing the land or removing the trees.

“Ms Maaik’s family has a keen interest in orcharding and produce trees. Confirming the order would prevent them from managing the trees and utilising some of them as intended which is for the production of maple syrup.”

She also said insulting remarks have been made against Ms Maiik and her family.

“It’s Ms Maaik’s position that the public support received for the application results from the removal of permissive paths across her land rather than the particular merit of the trees present on the site.”

She called on the committee to reject the application.

Chas Townley, who spoke on behalf of the Open Spaces Society, also supported the TPO application.

He said an application to register Verney Fields as a town green has yet to be determined by Gloucestershire County Council.

“There’s also the issue of additional rights of way that have been applied for on the land,” he added.

He said there are a lot of contested issues about the land but that the trees were important for the natural beauty of the area.

Officers explained that the TPO would not necessarily restrict the extraction of syrup from the field maples there as long as it does not have a significant detrimental impact on them.

“We wouldn’t want to see the trees diminished or degraded as an amenity,” Justin Hobbs said.

Councillor Helen Fenton (Independent Left, Chalford) proposed approving the scheme and this was seconded by Cllr Victoria Gray (C, Gray).

The committee voted to approve the application by nine votes to one with one abstention.