Website tools and information disclaimer

Last updated 25 August 2026

This page explains what the free tools and general information on this website can and cannot do, and what you are agreeing to when you use them. It is written in plain English on purpose.

The protected tree checker

Our "Is my tree protected?" checker looks up your postcode against the national planning data platform (planning.data.gov.uk), which brings together conservation area and tree preservation order records published by local councils. We use postcodes.io to place your postcode on the map.

You should know the limits of that data:

• Council coverage on the national platform is still growing. Some councils have not published their records yet, and published records can be incomplete or out of date.
• A result showing no records does not mean a tree is not protected.
• A result showing records nearby does not confirm that a specific tree is protected.
• Your local council holds the definitive register for both conservation areas and tree preservation orders. Always confirm with the council before any work is planned or carried out.

The checker is provided free as an indicative starting point only. It is not advice, and it is not a substitute for confirmation from your council or for a professional survey. Great Oaks Tree Services accepts no responsibility for errors or omissions in third party data, for the availability of those data services, or for any loss arising from reliance on the checker's results without confirmation.

The letter checker

Our letter checker reads the wording of a letter you upload or paste, using automated reading, and suggests which survey it appears to be asking for. Automated reading can misunderstand a document. The suggestion is indicative only, and a member of our team always confirms the right survey with you before anything is scoped, priced or booked.

What we store

Postcodes entered into the checker are not stored. Letters uploaded or pasted into the letter checker are processed to produce the answer and are not stored. If you go on to send us an enquiry, the details you submit are used to answer that enquiry, as the consent statement on the form says.

General website information

The information on this website is general information about tree work, surveys, training and assessment. It is not advice about your specific tree, site or project. Formal advice is provided through an instructed survey or report, carried out under its own terms of engagement.

The legal bit, kept short

• Using the free tools on this website creates no contract between us and no surveyor client relationship.
• We accept no liability for decisions made, or work carried out, on the strength of an indicative tool result that has not been confirmed with the council or through an instructed survey.
• Nothing on this page excludes or limits any liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited.

Questions

If anything on this page is unclear, contact the office at office@greatoakstreeservices.co.uk or on 07884 274693 and we will explain it plainly.