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Tree Preservation Orders Surrey

If you have a tree in your Surrey garden or on your land that may be subject to a Tree Preservation Order, getting the right advice early is essential. Carrying out work on a protected tree without proper consent can result in a fine of up to £20,000 — or an unlimited fine in the Crown Court. At Qualitree Ltd, our CHAS-accredited team of arborists handles TPO applications, conservation area notifications and all protected tree work across Surrey on behalf of our clients. With over 15 years of combined industry experience and full compliance with BS 3998 British Standards, we take care of the entire process from initial check to completed works. Our arborists hold NPTC qualifications, carry £5m public liability insurance, and have an established track record working directly with local planning authorities across the county — including Tandridge District Council, Reigate & Banstead Borough Council, and Epsom & Ewell Borough Council. Call us on 0203 902 0618 for a free, no-obligation quote.

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What Is a Tree Preservation Order in Surrey?

A Tree Preservation Order (TPO) is a formal legal protection issued by a local planning authority under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. It applies to individual trees, groups of trees, or woodlands where the local council has determined that the tree or trees are of sufficient amenity value to warrant protection from damage or removal. Once a TPO is in place, no pruning, felling, lopping, uprooting or deliberate damage can take place without first obtaining written consent from the relevant council.

TPOs are issued across Surrey by multiple local planning authorities — including Tandridge District Council, Reigate & Banstead Borough Council, Mole Valley District Council, Epsom & Ewell Borough Council, and Surrey Heath Borough Council, among others. The density of protected trees across the county is high, particularly in areas with significant amenity green space, historic estates, and conservation area designations. If you are planning any tree work in Surrey, checking TPO and conservation area status before starting is not optional — it is a legal requirement.

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tree preservation Order - Qualitree
tree preservation Order - Qualitree

Conservation Area Trees — How Protection Works Differently

Trees growing within a designated Conservation Area carry a separate but equally significant layer of legal protection. Unlike a TPO — which is applied to specific individual trees — conservation area protection applies automatically to all trees above a minimum size within the designated boundary. If a tree in a conservation area has a trunk diameter exceeding 75mm when measured at 1.5 metres above ground level, you must give the local planning authority six weeks’ written notice before carrying out any work on it. During that six-week period, the council can assess the tree and impose a TPO if it considers the tree worthy of additional long-term protection.

Surrey has a large number of designated conservation areas across its districts and boroughs. Properties in older village centres, historic high streets, and established residential areas across Caterham, Lingfield, Kingswood and elsewhere frequently sit within or adjacent to these zones. Many homeowners are unaware that their garden trees are affected until work is about to begin. Our team always carries out a full check of conservation area and TPO status before any work starts — at no additional charge to you.

How the TPO Application Process Works in Surrey

If you want to carry out work on a tree that is subject to a TPO, or on a tree in a conservation area, the process involves a formal application to your local planning authority. At Qualitree, we manage this process entirely on your behalf. Here is how it works in practice.

Step 1 — Identifying protection status. Before any work begins, we check whether your tree is subject to a TPO or sits within a conservation area. This involves checking the relevant council’s online mapping tool and, where necessary, contacting the council’s tree officer directly. This step is free of charge for all Qualitree clients.

Step 2 — Assessing the proposed works. We carry out an assessment of the tree and the works you are proposing — whether that is crown reduction, pruning, selective branch removal or full felling — and determine the appropriate scope of the application. For trees in conservation areas where only minor pruning is needed, a simple notification may suffice. For TPO trees requiring more significant work, a full consent application is required.

Step 3 — Preparing and submitting the application. We prepare the application documentation on your behalf, including a written description of the proposed works and a specification in accordance with BS 3998. Applications are submitted to the relevant local planning authority. For most TPO consent applications, the council has up to eight weeks to reach a decision, though in practice decisions are often made sooner. For conservation area notifications, the council has six weeks.

Step 4 — Carrying out the approved works. Once consent is granted, we carry out all works to the approved specification, in full compliance with BS 3998 British Standards. All arisings are removed from site on the day, and our team works cleanly and safely throughout — every job covered by our £5m public liability insurance policy.

In genuine emergency situations — for example where a branch or stem presents an imminent danger to people or property — a TPO tree can be made safe without prior consent, provided the council is notified within five days. Our emergency response team is available across Surrey for exactly these situations. You can read more about our emergency tree work service for urgent and out-of-hours callouts.

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As emergency tree surgeons, we provide emergency tree services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

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Discover Our Process at Qualitree

Step 1

Tailored Consultation

We prioritize your satisfaction by actively listening and addressing your unique needs. Our certified arborists thoroughly evaluate your trees and property, ensuring a comprehensive understanding.

Step 2

Efficient Execution

Our team of certified arborists diligently performs the necessary work, Using effective techniques to ensure that your trees receive the highest level of care they require for their optimal health and vitality.

Step 3

Customer Satisfaction and Support

Our commitment doesn't end with the completion of the work. We prioritize your satisfaction by conducting a follow-up, ensuring that you are pleased with the results and providing answers to any inquiries.

Why Choose Qualitree for Tree Preservation Order Work in Surrey?

Working on protected trees is not a task for unqualified operators. By law, all work on TPO trees must be carried out by arborists working to BS 3998 — and the consequences of getting it wrong extend far beyond a failed application. Poor pruning cuts to a protected veteran oak, for example, can cause permanent damage and trigger enforcement action. At Qualitree, all of our arborists hold NPTC qualifications, and every piece of work we carry out — on protected or unprotected trees alike — follows BS 3998 British Standards as standard.

We are CHAS accredited and carry £5m public liability insurance, meaning both domestic and commercial clients have full protection when they work with us. Our experience handling TPO applications across multiple Surrey local authority areas — including Tandridge, Reigate & Banstead, and Epsom & Ewell — means we understand how different councils approach applications and what information a tree officer needs to see in order to approve proposed works. This practical experience makes our applications more robust and our approval rates higher.

We also handle tree felling and removal where a TPO tree has died, become dangerous, or consent for removal has been granted. Our tree felling service covers all protected and unprotected trees across Surrey, using sectional dismantling techniques to work safely in confined spaces or close to buildings. For crown reduction and pruning work on TPO trees, our arborists carry out all specification-compliant pruning as part of the same joined-up service.

Tree Preservation Order FAQs — Surrey

The most reliable way is to check your local council’s online planning map — most Surrey councils including Tandridge District Council and Reigate & Banstead Borough Council publish interactive TPO registers. You can also contact the council’s tree officer directly. At Qualitree, we carry out this check free of charge for all clients before any work begins, so you don’t need to do it yourself.
In most cases, no. The main exception is the emergency exemption — if a branch or stem presents an imminent danger to people or property, you can carry out the minimum work necessary to remove the danger without prior consent, but you must notify the council within five days. Dead wood can also be removed from a TPO tree without consent. All other pruning, reduction or felling requires a formal application to the local planning authority.

The council has up to eight weeks to determine a TPO consent application, though many applications are decided more quickly. For conservation area notifications, the council has six weeks to respond before you are free to proceed — or to place a TPO on the tree if they wish to protect it. We submit applications on your behalf and will keep you updated on progress throughout.

There is no fee for the TPO consent application itself — the council does not charge for processing tree works applications. Our costs relate to the arboricultural works once consent is granted: pruning, crown reduction, or felling and removal depending on the approved scope. Costs vary depending on the size of the tree, species, access to site, and the extent of the works. We provide a full written quotation before any work begins. Call 0203 902 0618 to arrange a free site visit and quotation.

This is a criminal offence under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. Penalties can reach £20,000 in a magistrates’ court, or an unlimited fine in the Crown Court. The offence also applies to anyone who causes or permits the damage — meaning contractors who carry out the work can face prosecution alongside the property owner. In some cases, the council can also require replacement planting at your expense. It is not a risk worth taking.

Yes. Caterham and the wider Tandridge district — including areas such as Lingfield, Kingswood, Lower Kingswood and Oxted — fall within Tandridge District Council’s planning authority. We have direct experience working with Tandridge’s tree officers and understand their application requirements. We handle all paperwork on your behalf, from initial TPO status check through to submission and, where necessary, dialogue with the council tree officer. Call us on 0203 902 0618 to discuss your specific tree.

tree preservation Order - Qualitree

Areas We Cover for Tree Preservation Orders in Surrey

Qualitree provides TPO application management and protected tree work across Surrey. We regularly carry out this service in Caterham, Ewell, Lower Kingswood, Lingfield and Kingswood, as well as across Warlingham, Reigate, Banstead, Redhill, Oxted, Woldingham, Godstone, Whyteleafe, Chipstead, Hooley, Farleigh, Bletchingley, Limpsfield, Walton-on-the-Hill, Epsom, Ewell, Chaldon and the surrounding areas of Surrey. If your property or site is not listed, call us on 0203 902 0618 and we can confirm coverage — we serve a wide area across the county.

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Our professional team specializes in tree surgery and is ready to assist you! Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you need any tree-related services. Contact us by completing the form below or calling 0203 902 0618 today.
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