A tree survey for planning costs from £445 at Fixed Fee Plans. A partner arboriculturist visits, records every tree that your work could affect or that could affect it, and we plot them on your plan, so the council can see what stands where and what condition it is in.
Trees surprise people at validation more than almost anything else. An oak in a neighbour's garden, a street tree outside the gate, a cherry the previous owner planted too close to the wall: each can hold up an extension, because the council has to weigh the loss or damage against the benefit of the scheme. A survey tells you early, when the design can still move.
Do I need a tree survey?
If there are trees on or next to the site that your work could affect, yes, and councils ask for one where trees stand close enough to be affected. The usual triggers are an extension within a few metres of a tree, work that changes ground levels near roots, a new driveway or crossover, and any site with a tree preservation order or in a conservation area. We check the address first, and if the site is clear, we say so.
The legal frame is short. Section 198 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 lets a council make a tree preservation order where it is expedient in the interests of amenity. Under the planning practice guidance, an order prohibits cutting down, topping, lopping, uprooting, wilful damage and wilful destruction without written consent, and cutting roots is also treated as a prohibited activity. Our constraints report lists orders, conservation areas and other designations on one page if you only need to know where you stand.
What happens if a tree is protected?
You need the council's consent to work on it, and its protection counts in the planning decision. Cutting down, uprooting or wilfully destroying a tree in contravention of an order is an offence under section 210 of the 1990 Act, punishable by a fine, and a court takes any financial benefit from the offence into account. The council can also require a replacement tree where a protected one is removed.
In a conservation area, an unprotected tree is still covered. The planning practice guidance says people must give the council six weeks' notice before certain work, and under section 211 the work may go ahead after that period but before two years from the notice. Trees with a trunk of 75mm or less, measured at 1.5m above ground, are outside the notice rule. That is why a heritage statement and a tree survey often arrive together; our heritage statement covers the conservation side.
What does the survey include, and what is extra?
The survey includes the visit, the tree schedule and the plotted plan. A schedule gives each tree's species, trunk diameter, height, condition and expected remaining life, which is the evidence a planning officer reads. A plan shows each one numbered and drawn to scale beside your proposal, so a tree that is closer than your design allows is visible at a glance.
An impact assessment or a method statement for protecting trees during building is not part of the fee. If your scheme needs one, we quote it before it starts, so the first price you pay is the survey only. The work itself is the arboriculturist's, not ours, which is why we call them our partner and name what they do. If the council attaches a condition about tree protection to your permission, our discharge of conditions service helps submit the details.
What does it cost?
Our fee is from £445, and it is a floor: a large garden with many trees or a woodland edge is quoted in writing. The council charges nothing for the survey; the planning application pays its usual fee, which is £548 for a householder extension. Our complete planning drawing service at £645 drawings + £150 survey (£795 total) produces the drawings the plan is plotted on, and the permitted development checker shows whether a smaller scheme needs no application, though a tree preservation order still applies to permitted work.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a tree survey for a rear extension?
If a tree stands close enough to affect or be affected by the work, the council will usually want one. We check the address for orders and conservation area status first and tell you plainly if none is needed.
Can I cut down a tree in a conservation area?
Only after giving the council six weeks' notice, unless an exception applies, such as a trunk of 75mm or less. If the tree has a preservation order you need written consent, which is a different process.
Who does the survey?
A partner arboriculturist, working with us. We coordinate the visit, plot the trees on the plan and tell you what they mean for the design.
Is an impact assessment included?
No. The fee covers the survey, schedule and plan. If your design needs an impact assessment or protection plan, we quote it separately before it starts.