You can find out if a tree is protected, and when you need permission to work on protected trees.

Before you start work on trees or contract someone to do the work for you, you’ll need to check:

  • if the tree is protect by a Tree Preservation Order
  • if the tree is in a Conservation Area 
  • if the tree is subject to Planning Conditions

Check the status of a tree

You can check this for free by 

  • following the guidance below, or 
  • paying a fee for our tree admin team to conduct this on your behalf

If you’d like us to conduct a search on your behalf you will need to:

  1. visit our payments page and make a £20 payment (per site). You’ll need to select - Planning - Miscellaneous - Planning - Copies of Documents
  2. send an email to our Tree Works team with details of:
    • the site, or a site plan
    • your receipt number

We aim to respond within 48 working hours.

Request a Tree Preservation Order (TPO)

A tree preservation order (TPO) is an order by us to makes it an offence to carry out any of the following works, without Council consent:

  • cut down
  • uprooting
  • topping
  • lopping
  • wilful damage or
  • wilful destruction

All species of trees which are considered to have public amenity value can be made the subject of a TPO. This protection does not include hedges, bushes or shrubs.

You can check if there is a TPO or Conservation Area status placed on the tree on our tree status map.

If you apply to fell or carry out works to trees protected by a TPO, you'll get a decision within 8 weeks of making the application.

If the decision is not made within this time, you can lodge an appeal with the Secretary of State.

It is an offence for anyone to contravene the provisions of a TPO. Anyone found guilty of this offence is liable, if convicted in a magistrate's court, to a fine up to £20,000.

How to apply

You can request a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) using our online form. You should use this if you want to make a request to the Local Planning Authority (LPA) to:

  • protect a tree
  • a group of trees
  • an area of land where trees are located or
  • a woodland 

The LPA has adopted a TPO assessment method that it will always use when considering to serve a new TPO. This evaluation considerations are as follows:

  • public visibility
  • individual impact (condition, retention span, local importance, other factors)
  • wider impact
  • expediency (management of the tree and threats to the tree)

The LPA considers that trees in areas controlled by the Council are under good arboricultural management. This is supported by our Tree Strategy.

However, there might be occasions when the LPA wants to protect trees that are within the ownership of the Council. In these circumstances the online TPO request form should be completed.

All new requests for TPO’s could take up to 12 weeks to be considered by the LPA. This depends on the likelihood of tree works taking place and the amenity value of the tree.

The LPA will write to inform you of its decision once it has undertaken an assessment using its TPO assessment method.

Carrying out work on trees in a conservation area

It is offence to carry out the following works, to any tree located within a conservation area that measures more than 75 millimetres in diameter when measured 1.5 metres above the ground:

  • uproot
  • cut down
  • top
  • lop
  • wilfully damage or
  • wilfully destroy

Giving us notice 

If you want to carry out works to such a tree in a conservation area you must give notice to us in writing. This must be at least 6 weeks before you plan to carry out the work.

It is an offence to carry out the works unless you have given notice in writing to the Council, and either:

  • you have received a decision; or
  • 6 weeks have expired since you served a valid notice on the Council and you have not received a decision

Anyone found guilty of this offence is liable, if convicted in a magistrate's court, to a fine up to £20,000. If we don't respond to your application within 6 weeks, you can proceed with the works. This is providing the works are carried out within 2 years of the notice.

Trees protected by a planning conditions

If you are granted planning permission for development, we can impose conditions upon the to ensure that existing trees are:

  • protected and
  • not damaged during and/or after construction

We also promote high-quality tree planting within new developments. This helps to maintain and enhance the Borough's local landscapes.

You can view planning applications with conditions on our planning register.  

Request to carry out works

If you want to carry out works on trees covered by the planning condition, you'll need to submit a planning application and pay a fee.

You'll get a decision within 8 weeks of making the application. If the decision is not made within this time, you can lodge an appeal with the Secretary of State.