Tree Preservation Order and Conservation Area applications
Section 211 notices and TPO consent applications, with the arboricultural justification an officer can agree with.
A protected tree is not untouchable. The works have to be justified. Most refusals we are asked to look at described what the applicant wanted rather than why the tree needed it, with no arboricultural reasoning an officer could agree with.
We prepare the application, specify the works to BS 3998:2010, and set out the arboricultural case: condition, defect, target, and why the proposed intervention is the least that resolves it. Where an authority refuses or amends, we handle the response and, where it is warranted, the appeal evidence.
What the work involves.
Which route applies to your tree
A tree covered by a Tree Preservation Order needs a formal application for consent before any work is carried out. A tree in a Conservation Area but not under an Order needs a section 211 notice instead, which tells the authority what you intend to do and gives them a statutory six week period to make an Order if they object. The two routes look similar and are handled differently, and the first useful step is confirming which one you are in.
What makes an application succeed
An officer is being asked to agree that the work is arboriculturally necessary and proportionate. That means the application has to establish the condition of the tree, the defect or conflict driving the work, the target or receptor at risk, and why the specified operation is the least intervention that resolves it. Works described in BS 3998:2010 terms, with a reason attached to each, are considerably harder to refuse than a request to reduce a tree by a third.
When retention is contested
Where an authority is reluctant to lose a tree and the case rests on internal condition, sonic tomography and resistograph evidence changes the conversation from opinion to measurement. That cuts both ways, and often supports retaining a tree with a reduced crown rather than removing it, which is usually the outcome an officer will accept.
Refusals, amendments and appeals
A refusal is not the end of the matter. We review the reasoning, respond to it directly, and where the authority has misread the arboriculture we prepare the evidence for appeal. Replacement planting proposals are included where loss is unavoidable, because an application that addresses the amenity loss is far more likely to be granted.
Questions about this service.
If yours is not here, ask it directly. We would rather answer before you commission than after.
Ask a questionCan work be done on a tree with a TPO or in a Conservation Area?
Yes, with consent or notice. Protected status makes retention more likely but does not prevent justified works. The application has to explain why the tree needs the work, not what the owner would prefer, so we attach the arboricultural reasoning and a works specification to BS 3998:2010. Where a tree presents an immediate danger there are statutory exemptions, though notification is normally still required.
What happens if a protected tree is worked on without consent?
It is a criminal offence, and for cutting down, uprooting or wilfully destroying a protected tree the fine on conviction is unlimited. There is also a duty to replace the tree. If work has already been carried out, tell us and we will advise on the position rather than compound it, including notifying the authority where the exemption for dead or dangerous trees applied.
How do I find out whether my tree is protected?
The local planning authority holds the register of Tree Preservation Orders and the Conservation Area boundaries, and most publish both online. Checking is free and worth doing before you instruct any work, because protection attaches to the tree regardless of who planted it or when you bought the property.
Tell us the site and the deadline.
You get a fixed price and a realistic survey date back, not a discovery call.