Tree Surveys for PlanningFrom £445
How much does a tree survey for planning cost in London?
A tree survey for a London planning application costs our fixed £445, with no VAT charged. An arboriculturist we coordinate surveys the trees on and next to your site, rates them, shows the root protection areas against your scheme and writes the report that goes in with the application.
The short answer: one fixed fee, a specialist's report
Our tree survey for planning costs £445. An arboriculturist we coordinate surveys every tree on the site and close enough to affect it, including those next door, rates each by quality and life expectancy, and plots their positions, crowns and root protection areas against your scheme on a plan.
A written statement then says which trees are kept, which would go and what protects the ones that stay, and we check for tree preservation orders and conservation area protection. The report is coordinated with the site plan and goes in with the planning application.
- Survey the trees
Every tree on the site and near enough to affect it is recorded, including next door's.
- Rate them
Each tree is rated by quality and life expectancy.
- Plot the roots
Crowns and root protection areas are drawn against your scheme.
- Write the statement
A report says which trees stay, which go and what protects the ones that remain.
Why the council asks for it
A tree close to the boundary can hold up an extension or a new house, because the council wants to know the building will not harm it. National policy asks that development proposals make provision for the long-term maintenance of both existing and newly-planted trees, and for ancient or veteran trees it says loss or deterioration should be refused unless there are wholly exceptional reasons.
The usual reference for the survey is BS 5837, the British Standard for trees in relation to design, demolition and construction. We do not quote its figures here because we have not re-checked them, and the arboriculturist applies the current edition.
Protected trees and conservation areas
Trees in a conservation area are protected even without an order. Planning guidance says the provisions require people to notify the council, using a section 211 notice, 6 weeks before carrying out certain work on such trees.
The penalty is serious. A person convicted of these offences is liable, if convicted in the magistrates' court, to a fine of up to £20,000, and in serious cases may be committed for trial in the Crown Court and, if convicted, is liable to an unlimited fine (paragraph 137 of the same guidance). We check protection at the start so you do not discover it at the chainsaw.
When you do not need one
Not every application needs a tree survey. A council asks when trees on or beside the site could be affected by the proposal, so a rear extension at the back of a house with no trees nearby may not prompt the request. If the council has not asked and there is nothing within reach, we say so and you do not pay.
If there is a tree in doubt, the survey is far cheaper than a refusal on a tree ground, and our post on rear extension drawings explains the main application it sits behind.
Where it sits in the project
The tree report is one document in a planning application, along with the drawings. If a protected tree is going to affect where an extension can go, the study of options is the place to find that out; see our post on feasibility studies.
Our tree survey for planning page shows the service in detail. If bats may be in an old tree or roof on the site, a separate survey is needed; the post on bat surveys explains it.
Sources
Every figure in this article, where it comes from and a link to the original.
- make provision for the long-term maintenance of both existing and newly-planted trees: NPPF policy N3(1)(c): development proposals should (source wording: "long-term maintenance of both existing and newly-planted trees"). www.gov.uk
- wholly exceptional reasons: NPPF policy N6(2): development which would lose or deteriorate irreplaceable habitats (including ancient or veteran trees) should be refused unless (source wording: "wholly exceptional reasons"). www.gov.uk
- 6 weeks before carrying out certain work: PPG Tree Preservation Orders and trees in conservation areas, para 116: (source wording: "notify the local planning authority, using a 'section 211 notice', 6 weeks before"). www.gov.uk
- £20,000: PPG Tree Preservation Orders and trees in conservation areas, para 137: (source wording: "liable, if convicted in the magistrates' court, to a fine of up to £20,000"). www.gov.uk
- unlimited fine: PPG Tree Preservation Orders and trees in conservation areas, para 137: (source wording: "In serious cases a person may be committed for trial in the Crown Court and, if convicted, is liable to an unlimited fine"). www.gov.uk
Questions people ask
Is the survey done by you?
Do I pay VAT on your fee?
Can I cut a tree before applying?
Does it cover my neighbour's tree?
Does the report guarantee permission?
Photographs: Matt Bird (Unsplash License); Phil Hearing (Unsplash License).
Tree Surveys for Planning: a fixed fee from £445
Read more on the tree surveys for planning service page, or send your address below and we reply within one working day.
Tree Surveys for Planning
from £445
Every price is the full fixed fee you pay. No VAT is charged. Council application fees are paid to the council separately.
What you get
- A survey of every tree on the site and close enough to affect it, including those next door
- Each tree rated by quality and life expectancy
- A plan showing tree positions, crowns and root protection areas against your scheme
- A statement of which trees are kept, which would go and what protects the ones that stay
- A check for tree preservation orders and conservation area protection