Tree Protections Orders: What Are They And What Are My Rights?

Tree Preservation Orders, or TPO’s for short, are issued by the local authority and protect specific trees, groups of trees and woodland areas. Any species of tree can be protected assuming it adds value to the local environment. You can find out if a tree you own is protected by visiting your local council’s website or contacting the council directly.

TPO’s are covered by the Town and Country Planning Regulations of 2012. These orders are imposed in the interest of amenity and prevent you from cutting down, topping, lopping, uprooting, damaging or destroying a TPO protected tree. Failure to comply with TPO’s could result in prosecution including fines and even imprisonment. It is essential therefore to secure consent from the relevant authority before carrying out any works which impact on protected trees. It is important to note also that TPO consents impose strict conditions that must be met when carrying out consented works. As with unprotected trees, responsibility for maintenance of TPO’d trees falls upon the home or land owner.

Tree maintenance is an important aspect of a TPO application and the support of a qualified and competent arboricultural consultant is viewed favourably. Typically, authorities assess the “amenity” value of a tree which includes public visibility, as well as the individual, collective and wider impact on the locality. This commonly involves consideration of factors such as the tree’s size, future potential amenity, rarity, cultural or historic value as well as it’s contribution to the appearance of the conservation area in which it is located.

As with all trees, it is important to regularly inspect protected trees to ensure that any necessary preventative maintenance is carried out so that the tree remains healthy, as unhealthy trees pose a safety risk and could end up damaging your property or those at or near it.

Contact the TreeRunner team by emailing: info@treerunnerarb.co.uk or calling 01670 772 023 for support with your TPO work application or any other tree maintenance enquiries.