Tree Preservation Order Check Before You Book Work

A mature tree can be the feature that makes a garden or site feel established - until it starts blocking access, casting heavy shade, dropping limbs or standing in the way of planned works. Before arranging pruning, felling or clearance, a tree preservation order check should be the first practical step. Getting this right protects you from avoidable delays, enforcement action and the cost of putting unauthorised work right.

For homeowners, landlords and site managers across Surrey and South London, the key point is simple: do not assume a tree is free to work on because it stands within your boundary. Legal protection can apply regardless of ownership, and it can affect everything from removing a dead limb to felling a whole tree.

What a tree preservation order check tells you

A Tree Preservation Order, usually called a TPO, is made by the local planning authority to protect trees that bring public amenity value to an area. It may cover one individual tree, a group of trees, an area, or woodland. The order can apply to a wide range of species and sizes, from a prominent oak at the front of a property to mature trees around a development boundary.

A proper check confirms whether a TPO applies and identifies exactly what is protected. This matters because the legal protection may cover more than the tree you had in mind. A site with several trees, for example, may have an order affecting a group or a wider area rather than a single numbered specimen.

The check should also consider whether the property is in a conservation area. Trees in conservation areas are not automatically subject to a TPO, but many are still protected by planning controls. If a tree has a trunk diameter greater than 75mm when measured 1.5 metres above ground level, you will usually need to give the council six weeks' written notice before carrying out work. The authority can then allow the work, raise concerns or make a TPO.

That distinction is easy to miss, especially when a tree has never been labelled or marked. A tree surgeon should not treat an absence of visible signs as permission to start work.

How to check whether a tree is protected

Start with the local planning authority for the borough or district where the tree stands. Many councils publish TPO records and conservation area maps, but online information can occasionally be incomplete or awaiting updates. Where the answer affects scheduled work, a direct enquiry to the tree or planning team provides a more reliable record.

Give the council a clear site address, a plan or photograph showing the tree's position, its species if known, and a short description of the work proposed. If the tree sits close to a boundary, access road or neighbouring land, precision is particularly useful. It avoids confusion over which tree is being checked.

A thorough tree preservation order check should account for four possible restrictions:

• an individual, group, area or woodland TPO;

• conservation area controls;

• a planning condition attached to a previous permission; and

• restrictions affecting a development site, including approved landscaping or ecological requirements.

Planning conditions are worth checking even where there is no TPO. A recently built property, extension scheme or redevelopment site may have retained-tree requirements, root protection areas or landscaping conditions that influence how work is planned.

Consent is not a formality

If a TPO applies, you normally need the council's written consent before pruning, reducing, removing or otherwise damaging the protected tree. The application should explain what work is proposed and why. A vague request to tidy, cut back or make safe is less useful than a clear specification, such as crown lifting to a stated height, removal of deadwood, or a measured crown reduction with reasons.

The quality of the information matters. Councils need to assess the tree's condition, its contribution to the area and whether the proposed work is proportionate. Evidence may include photographs, a site plan, details of damage, and an arboricultural report where decay, subsidence, structural defects or development constraints are involved.

There is a trade-off here. Applying for more work than is genuinely needed may create questions and delay, while applying for an overly limited scope can mean returning for fresh consent later. The best approach is a practical, tree-specific specification that deals with the issue while retaining as much healthy structure as possible.

Consent can come with conditions. These may set out the permitted work, require replacement planting after removal, or specify when the work must be completed. Read the decision carefully before booking a contractor. Permission for a crown reduction is not permission to fell the tree, and approval to remove one stem does not necessarily extend to adjoining trees.

What about dangerous, dead or storm-damaged trees?

Safety always comes first, particularly after high winds or where a tree is threatening people, buildings, roads or power infrastructure. There are limited exemptions for certain urgent works to dead or dangerous protected trees. However, an exemption is not a shortcut for routine maintenance or a precautionary removal that has not been supported by evidence.

Only the work necessary to remove the immediate risk should be carried out. If possible, notify the local authority before work begins. Take clear, dated photographs showing the defect or damage, retain a record of the assessment, and keep evidence of the works completed. For a tree that has failed but is not creating an immediate hazard, the safer route is generally to seek advice and consent before further work.

This is one area where professional judgement is valuable. A hanging branch, cracked union or uprooted tree may need a rapid response, but the correct action could range from isolating the area and removing a broken limb to dismantling the whole tree. The situation depends on the defect, targets beneath it and whether the remaining tree can be retained safely.

Why informal pruning can still cause a problem

Protected-tree rules do not only concern full removal. Cutting roots during excavation, severing major limbs, heavy topping, poisoning, burning or carrying out poorly planned reductions can all damage a tree and may breach the order. Work by a neighbour, tenant, gardener or contractor can still leave the owner or person arranging the work exposed to serious consequences.

This is especially relevant on tight London plots and busy commercial premises. Limited access, nearby garages, garden rooms, pavements and parked vehicles can make tree work technically demanding. The method of access and dismantling must protect both the property and the tree where retention is the aim.

Good pruning is not about making the canopy as small as possible. It should have a defined outcome: remove deadwood, reduce end weight, improve clearance over a path, manage a conflict with a building, or maintain a suitable shape. Excessive pruning can lead to rapid regrowth, weak attachment points, decay and a tree that looks worse rather than better.

Plan the work in the right order

For straightforward garden work, check protection before accepting a start date. For a larger clearance or construction project, make the check part of the earliest site review. Trees can affect layout, access routes, demolition, drainage, service trenches and the location of stored materials. Finding a restriction after machinery arrives on site is an expensive way to revise a programme.

Once the position is clear, a competent contractor can recommend an appropriate work specification, explain the access and safety measures required, and provide information to support an application where needed. On protected trees, the approved specification should guide the work on the day rather than being treated as a rough suggestion.

Verdantor Tree Specialists can assess trees across Surrey and South London, advise on practical management options and carry out approved work with the care needed around homes, gardens and active sites. Where removal is justified, the wider job can also include stump grinding, clearance and landscaping, so the site is left safe and ready for its next use.

A tree may be protected because it contributes something lasting to the street, garden or wider landscape. A quick check before work begins gives you room to make the right decision - whether that means careful pruning, a formal application, urgent safety action or a plan that keeps a healthy tree in place.