A condition report on one tree from £150; a site survey with a plan from £350; the TPO application done for £90
Tree surveys and planning
A written report on the tree you are worried about, a BS 5837 survey for a planning application or an extension, a mortgage lender's letter about the oak near the house, and the Tree Preservation Order and conservation area paperwork done for you. Two of us are Lantra-qualified inspectors; the report says what the tree is, what condition it is in, and what, if anything, needs doing.
Half the questions we get are not about cutting anything: is the ash safe, will the willow lift the patio, can I build within the root spread of the oak, does the council need to know. A survey answers them in writing, from someone with the qualification to say so, and it is the document the planner, the lender or the insurer actually wants. We do them for householders, for the solicitors on Monnow Street, for two of the estate agents and for the council itself.
A Tree Preservation Order makes it an offence to cut, top, lop, uproot or wilfully damage the tree without the council's consent, with a fine of up to £20,000 per tree in the magistrates' court. Monmouthshire and Herefordshire both publish their orders on a map and we check it for every quote. A conservation area protects every tree with a trunk over 75 millimetres across, and the rule is six weeks' written notice before any work, which the council can turn into a TPO if it objects. Dead, dying and dangerous trees are exempt, on five days' notice and with evidence, which is what the photographs and the report are for.
For a planning application the local authority will ask for a BS 5837 tree survey: every tree over 75 millimetres plotted, categorised A to U, with its root protection area drawn and a plan showing what the building touches. We do the survey, the plan and the arboricultural impact assessment and talk to the planning officer when it helps. Mortgage reports are simpler: the lender wants to know whether the big tree is a subsidence risk to the house, and the answer depends on the species, the distance, the soil and the age of the house, which we set out on two pages.
What is included
- A Lantra-qualified inspector on site
- A written report with photographs within five working days
- The TPO and conservation area check against the council map
- The application or notice filled in and submitted for £90
- BS 5837 surveys, plans and impact assessments for planning
- Mortgage and insurance letters about trees near buildings
What it costs
One tree, a visual inspection and a written report, £150. A site survey of up to ten trees with a plan and schedule to BS 5837, £350; more trees quoted. The TPO or conservation area application filled in and submitted, £90. The TPO check itself is free with any quote. Including VAT and £5 million of public liability cover. The estimator turns your job into a band in ten seconds; the areas page says whether your postcode carries a travel charge.
Questions about surveys and TPOs
How do I find out if my tree has a TPO?
Ring us with the address, or ask the council's tree officer; both councils publish the map. We check it for every quote at no charge and tell you what we found and what it means for the job.
How long does a TPO application take?
The council has eight weeks to decide and usually takes six. A conservation area notice is six weeks and the work can go ahead if they have not objected by then. We plan the diary round the decision date.
A band from the estimator. A fixed quote after we have looked.
The estimator turns the job, the size of the tree and the access into a price band before you ring. The quote form takes two minutes; Owen or Ffion replies within two working days with a visit that week, and the quote after it is the figure on the invoice. A tree down right now: the storm line, any hour.