Please read the application guidance below before submitting an application to ensure you are applying for the correct application type.
Six Week Notice of Intent
You are legally required to provide at least six weeks’ notice (Notice of Intent) prior to undertaking works to protected trees. We must be given details of:
- the precise location of the tree(s)
- a detailed description of the proposed work.
The application form applies to both Tree Preservation Orders and trees in Conservation Areas.
Please see the Planning portal for further guidance.
Five Day Notice: diseased, dying or dangerous trees
If your TPO tree(s) are diseased, dying or dangerous, you can notify the local planning authority using a ‘Five Day Notice’ of your intention to reduce or remove the hazard by means of pruning or felling. An officer may attend to confirm this type of notice is appropriate.
When a tree is felled under this exemption there is an automatic replacement condition and the new tree inherits the TPO.
Deadwood can be removed from the tree without notifying the local planning authority. You are advised to record the deadwood beforehand and must not take any living tissue from the tree.
Exempt works: dangerous trees with immediate risk
You may undertake work to a tree that presents an immediate risk of serious harm without prior notification, providing that work is limited to those urgently required to mitigate the danger.
If the tree is diseased, dying or dangerous, but does not present an immediate risk, you must submit a ‘Five Day Notice’.
Tree owners must give written notice to the authority as soon as practicable after the work is carried out. The burden of proof that that a tree is exempt from the need for consent lies with the person(s) carrying out the work.
Please notify Planning Enforcement as soon as possible after carrying out the work and provide supporting evidence of the immediate risk.