BS5837 tree surveys for planning applications
Tree constraints plans, arboricultural impact assessments, method statements and tree protection plans, written for submission and structured for the officer reading them.
Every planning authority expects the same evidence base, and most refusals we are asked to rescue come from the survey being commissioned too late rather than done badly. Our planning work follows BS 5837:2012 throughout, from the first constraints drawing to the final supervision record.
Every report is written as an arboricultural report for planning and structured for submission under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. Where an officer or objector raises a point after submission, we answer it directly rather than sending you back into the process.
What the work involves.
Commission it before the layout is fixed
Most authorities will not validate an application on a treed site without a BS5837 survey, so the survey happens either way. The question is whether it happens early enough to be useful. A constraints plan produced before the layout is drawn shows the designer where the root protection areas and future canopies fall, which is far cheaper than discovering a constraint after the scheme has been costed.
What the survey records
Every tree capable of influencing or being influenced by the development is recorded: species, height, stem diameter, crown spread, age class, physiological and structural condition, estimated remaining contribution, and a BS5837 retention category from A to U. Root protection areas are calculated from stem diameter and plotted to scale, with positions captured on RTK GNSS so the drawing matches the ground.
Impact, mitigation and protection
The impact assessment quantifies what the proposed layout does tree by tree: losses, root protection area incursions, and the mitigation or replacement planting offered against them. The method statement and tree protection plan that follow turn the approved scheme into something a contractor can build to, with protective fencing specified, no dig construction detailed where it is needed, and access and service routes agreed before anyone breaks ground.
Discharging the condition
Pre-commencement conditions are usually worded to require the method statement and protection plan before any work starts, and often require arboricultural supervision at defined stages. We prepare the discharge submission and attend the site visits, so the monitoring record exists when the authority asks for it rather than being assembled afterwards.
Questions about this service.
If yours is not here, ask it directly. We would rather answer before you commission than after.
Ask a questionDo I need a BS5837 tree survey for a planning application?
If your site has trees on it or next to it, almost certainly. Most authorities will not validate an application without one. Commissioning it before the layout is fixed is cheaper than redesigning around a constraint you did not know about.
What is the difference between an Arboricultural Impact Assessment and an Arboricultural Method Statement?
The Arboricultural Impact Assessment quantifies what the proposed layout does to the trees and what mitigation is offered. The Arboricultural Method Statement is the practical document that follows approval: fencing, no dig detail, access routes and supervision. Conditions usually require the second before work starts.
What do the BS5837 categories A to U mean?
They rank trees by quality and the value of retaining them. Category A trees are of high quality and should shape the layout, B moderate, C low, and U trees are those that cannot realistically be retained regardless of the development. The categories are a design input, not a permission to remove anything below A.
Tell us the site and the deadline.
You get a fixed price and a realistic survey date back, not a discovery call.