What happens on the day of a tree survey?
On the day of a tree survey, our surveyors walk the site and inspect each tree in turn from ground level, recording species, size, structure, condition and any defects, along with whatever the purpose of the survey calls for. You do not usually need to be there, provided we can reach the trees. A visit […]
What is a Section 211 notice?
A Section 211 notice is the written notice you must give your local council at least six weeks before carrying out work on a tree in a conservation area. It is not an application for permission in the usual sense. You are telling the council what you intend to do, and the six week window […]
Do I need a tree survey when buying a house?
Usually, yes, if there are large or mature trees close to the house, or the garden carries trees you would become responsible for on completion. There is no legal requirement to have one, and plenty of purchases complete without. But a standard homebuyer report says very little about trees, and once contracts are exchanged, whatever […]
Do I need permission to fell a tree in my garden?
Usually, no. If a tree stands in your own garden and is not legally protected, you do not normally need anyone’s permission to fell it. The catch sits in the word protected. A tree can be covered by a Tree Preservation Order, or sit inside a conservation area, without the owner ever having been told, […]
What is a felling licence and when do you need one?
Usually, no, if the tree is in your garden, and quite possibly yes if it is not. A felling licence is permission from the Forestry Commission to fell growing trees. You generally need one before felling anything more than a small volume of timber in any calendar quarter, and felling without one is an offence. […]
Can you build near a protected tree?
Usually, yes. Homes are extended and sites developed near protected trees across Lancashire every year. What changes is how the project is planned. The council will want evidence that the tree can be kept healthy during and after construction, and that evidence normally takes the form of a tree survey carried out to the relevant […]
My neighbour’s tree overhangs my garden. What can I do?
Usually, yes, you can cut back branches that overhang your garden, as far as the boundary line and no further, at your own cost, and you do not normally need your neighbour’s permission to do it. That right comes with real conditions. You must not cross the boundary, the cuttings still belong to your neighbour, […]
What is an arboricultural method statement?
An arboricultural method statement is a document that sets out, step by step, how construction or engineering work will be carried out near trees without harming them. Where a BS5837 tree survey records what is growing on a site, and an arboricultural impact assessment weighs what a proposed design would do to it, the method […]
What is a tree constraints plan?
A tree constraints plan is a scale drawing that shows every surveyed tree on and around a site, together with the constraints each one places on new building work: its position, its root protection area, its crown spread and its quality grading. It is produced as part of a BS 5837 tree survey, and it […]
Do I need permission to cut down a tree in a conservation area?
Yes, in almost all cases you do. If a tree stands in a conservation area, you must give the council six weeks written notice before felling it or carrying out most other works. Starting without that notice can lead to penalties that include unlimited fines, so it is never a step to skip. This article […]