You may need to make an application to work on trees if it is protected by a tree preservation order (TPO) or you live in a conservation area. Work can include trimming, topping, uprooting or lopping branches. All trees in conservation areas are protected, by general conservation area controls. A Tree Preservation order (TPO) is a legal order.
If you want to apply for permission to work on a tree, we strongly advise that you speak to a tree surgeon first.
Use the Arboricultural Association Approved Contractor Directory to find a tree surgeon. Qualified trees surgeons should have public and employer liability insurance and a waste disposal licence.
There are specific rules for different types of tree and woodland work. We may reject your form if the information provided is not correct. We can't visit your site before you apply.
If you want to carry out works to a protected tree, you must apply for permission in writing – verbal consent for work is not given. You can do this online via the Planning Portal.
To access the application form, sign in, select ‘start new application’, then select ‘an application for works to trees that are under a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) and/or notification of proposed tree works within a conservation area’.
Information required
To support your application for works on a tree, you will be required to provide the following details:
- A sketch map of the tree(s) location. This does not have to be to scale but demonstrating the distances between trees, boundaries, properties and relevant features is advised. Adjoining properties and roads should be included.
- The tree type and condition.
- The applicant and other parties’ interest in the tree.
- Description of the intended works and reasons for the works, showing which trees will be affected and the type of work which will be done on them. (Applicable when a tree is under protection of a Tree Preservation Order (TPO)).
- Any replacement trees which will be planted. (Applicable when a tree is under protection of a TPO).
- Picture of the tree you want to work on.
This must be detailed enough for us to understand the proposals.
Where trees are protected by a TPO you must include the reasons for work and where the trees are being felled. Followed by any proposals for planting replacement trees including the quantity, species, position and size, alternatively any reasons for not wanting to replant.
Certain types of work also need supporting information. For example, if you give the reason for work as being safety or damage to property you will need to give evidence of these problems.
Next steps
You can check the progress of your application on our online planning register.
We will let you know the decision within 8 weeks (6 weeks for a Conservation Area tree).
Exemptions for dead or dangerous protected trees
If the tree is dead or dangerous, you can apply for an exemption from the need to make an application to prune a tree that is in a Conservation Area or has a Tree Preservation Order.
Unless work is necessary because there is an immediate risk of serious harm, 5 working days written notice must be given before cutting down or carrying out other work on a dead tree.
You can remove dead branches from a living tree without notice or consent. Where a dead tree is removed, the landowner has a duty to plant a replacement: the species, position and time of planting will need to be agreed.
Where a tree presents an immediate risk of serious harm and work is urgently needed to remove the risk, tree owners or their agents must give written notice to the authority as soon as they can after the work becomes necessary.
Work should only be carried out to make the tree safe. If the danger is not immediate, an application is required.
The online form has been produced to help you to provide the necessary information required to make a written notice. It is not compulsory to use it but it will help us process the notice quickly and efficiently.
Woodland permissions
If you need to apply for permission to manage trees or woodlands speak to a specialist woodland consultant first. We can't visit your site before you apply. The consultant can see whether you need a Forestry Commission felling licence instead of a TPO application.
Find a woodland consultant through the Institute of Chartered Foresters.