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Tree surveys › BS5837 tree survey
For planning applications
If your planning application involves trees, on the site or close to it, your council will usually ask for a tree survey to BS5837:2012 before it validates or decides the application. We survey the site, grade every tree and produce the report and plans your planning officer expects to see, written in house by our own qualified team, who walk the site in person.
Every relevant tree recorded with species, dimensions, condition and a BS5837 category grading from A to U, so the council can see the quality of what stands on site.
Root protection areas calculated for each tree, a tree constraints plan for your designer, and a tree protection plan for the construction phase.
Where the design affects trees, an arboricultural impact assessment and method statement set out what is affected and how the retained trees are protected during the build.
Independent first. The survey is priced and delivered on its own and its findings are what the trees actually need. If the report recommends work, you are free to take it to any contractor you like. Because we are also an ARB Approved Contractor, we can carry out that work ourselves if you choose, one firm from survey to sign-off, but the report never depends on it.
If trees stand on or near the part of the site you are building on, your council will usually ask for one before it decides the application. Checking the validation requirements on your council's planning pages, or asking us, settles it quickly.
Most residential sites are surveyed in a single visit. Because our surveyors are local to Lancashire, we can usually be on site within days, and we quote within one working day.
BS5837 grades each tree by quality and how long it can be expected to contribute: A for high quality, B for moderate, C for low, and U for trees that cannot realistically be retained. The grading tells the council which trees carry weight in the planning balance.
The report is written to BS5837:2012, which is the standard planning authorities across Lancashire and the North West ask for. It sets out the survey schedule, plans and assessments in the format planning officers expect.
Protected trees are recorded in the survey and handled through the planning process. If you want to know before you start, our free protected tree checker gives you an indicative answer in seconds.
One team can carry the trees through the whole scheme, from the first constraints plan to the last condition being signed off. Depending on the scheme, that can mean a simple arboricultural report for a householder application or the full BS5837 package for a commercial one.
| Stage | Deliverable | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Feasibility | Tree survey and constraints plan | Root protection areas and constraints early, to inform the layout before design work hardens |
| Planning | Arboricultural impact assessment | Explains removals, pruning and mitigation for the planning officer |
| Planning | Tree protection plan | Protective fencing, ground protection and access, drawn to scale |
| Pre-start | Arboricultural method statement | Step by step methods for works near trees, to discharge conditions and brief contractors |
| Construction | Site supervision and monitoring | Inspection notes during the build that keep works compliant and conditions satisfied |
Plans are issued as PDFs with CAD layers your architect or designer can drop straight into the drawing set.
Tell us about your site and application and we will tell you exactly which survey you need, with a quote within one working day.
The BS5837 survey is the foundation; the council may then ask for documents built on it as the application progresses. The tree constraints plan is the drawing your architect overlays on the design. The arboricultural impact assessment weighs the finished design against the trees. The arboricultural method statement sets out how work happens safely near them. All three build on the same survey visit, so nothing is started twice.
Surveying for a site in the city? See BS5837 tree surveys in Preston; for the rest of the county, tree surveys across Lancashire.
Related: all tree surveys and reports · is my tree protected? · mortgage tree reports · tree risk assessments If the report recommends works, our own crews quote them separately as an ARB Approved Contractor, with no obligation: get a works quote.
Careers
Climbing, grounds maintenance and utility work.Climbing, grounds and utility work.
Arboricultural Association Approved Contractor.
Last minuteAvailability
Starts Monday 19 October 2026
3 days plus 1 for assessment
£9671 place
Entry requirements: Ground Based Chainsaw Operator and Tree Climbing and Aerial Rescue
Book this date, Using a Chainsaw from a Rope and HarnessOr call the training office on 01772 369694
