A professional arborist who cuts down trees without development consent in reckless disregard for legality, motivated by desire to earn a fee, commits an offence of low to medium objective gravity warranting conviction and a significant fine, not a s 10 discharge. The fact that a principal insists on immediate work without consent does not exculpate the contractor from the obligation to comply with the law. The contractor must refuse to perform the work if the principal will not obtain the requisite consent.
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