Tree work07884 274693Training01772 369694
Enter your postcode and we check the national planning data platform for conservation areas and tree preservation orders at your address. Working on a protected tree without consent is a criminal offence, so it is worth thirty seconds to find out.
Nothing you type is stored.
If your property sits in a conservation area, most works to trees with a trunk wider than about 7.5cm need six weeks written notice to the council before they start. The council uses that time to decide whether the tree deserves a preservation order.
A TPO protects a specific tree, group or woodland. Cutting down, topping, lopping or wilfully damaging a TPO tree needs the council's consent first, with very limited exceptions such as genuinely dangerous trees.
Even light pruning can be a breach. The fines are not worth it and the council can require replanting.
Tell us what you want to do and why. We will tell you honestly what the council is likely to allow.
A well argued application with the right survey evidence is the difference between yes and no. We prepare it.
Once consent is granted, we carry out the works as an ARB Approved Contractor, to the conditions on the consent.
Usually yes, but only after giving the council six weeks written notice first. The council can respond by making a tree preservation order to stop the works. Small trees with a trunk under about 7.5cm across at 1.5m from the ground are generally exempt, and different rules apply to fruit trees and hedges. When in doubt, ask before cutting.
It is a criminal offence. Serious breaches can carry unlimited fines, and the council can also require you to replant. Contractors and the person who instructed them can both be prosecuted, which is why a reputable firm always checks first.
Our checker searches the national planning data platform, which covers a growing share of councils. The definitive answer always comes from your local council's own register, and we are happy to check that with them for you as part of a free scope check.
There are exceptions for trees that are dead or present an urgent risk, but the bar is high and you need evidence before acting, ideally a written report and photographs. Five days notice is still normally required for dead trees. If you think a protected tree is dangerous, get a qualified inspection first. We can usually attend quickly.
The tree owner remains responsible for their tree even when it is protected. Protection restricts what works can happen without consent, but it does not transfer your duty of care. A recorded risk assessment is how that duty is evidenced.
Coverage of the national platform is growing council by council, so some areas return no data yet. That is exactly why we never treat no record as no protection. The free scope check includes confirming the position with your council directly.
We advise on what the council will realistically allow, prepare the application with the right survey evidence, and once consent is granted we carry out the works as an ARB Approved Contractor. Quotes are all-in, and the price we quote is the price you pay.
Get my free scope checkCareers
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
