Protected trees & planning
Tree Preservation Orders, in plain English.
A TPO or a conservation area doesn't mean you can never touch the tree — but it does mean the council's written consent comes first. Here's how it works, and how we handle the whole application for you.
What a TPO actually is
A Tree Preservation Order is made by the Local Planning Authority to protect a specific tree, group of trees or woodland that brings public amenity value. Once a tree has a TPO, it's an offence to cut it down, top, lop, uproot, wilfully damage or destroy it — or to allow that to happen — without the council's written consent first. That applies even when the tree is entirely in your own garden, and the fines for getting it wrong can be substantial.
Conservation areas count too
Even without a specific TPO, trees in a designated conservation area have protection. In most cases you have to give the council six weeks' written notice before doing work on a tree over a certain size, so they can decide whether to make a TPO. Solihull, Warwick, Leamington and Stratford all have significant conservation areas, so it's always worth checking before any work starts.
Where it gets complicated
- Checking status. TPOs aren't always obvious — the tree looks the same either way. The council holds the register; we check it as part of quoting.
- Dead, dying & dangerous. There are exemptions, but they're narrow and you may still need to give notice — don't assume a TPO can be ignored.
- Overhanging branches. Even trimming a protected tree back to your boundary can need consent first.
- Development sites. Planning conditions often require tree surveys and protection plans — get them wrong and the whole application stalls.
How we handle it for you
We deal with the whole thing so you don't have to. We check the TPO and conservation-area status before quoting, prepare and submit the permit application to your Local Planning Authority, get the supporting documentation in order, and only carry out the approved work once consent is in place. Where a tree condition survey or TPO compliance report is needed, we produce that too — so the tree is worked on properly and lawfully.
This page is general guidance, not legal advice — but it's a good place to start before any work on a protected tree.
Not sure if your tree is protected?
Send us the address and a photo. We'll check the TPO and conservation-area status, tell you honestly what's allowed, and handle any application to the council on your behalf.