Tree Preservation Orders: what they mean and how to apply

A Tree Preservation Order (TPO) is made by a local planning authority to protect a specific tree, group of trees, or woodland that makes a meaningful contribution to the local area. Once an order is in place, it's a criminal offence to cut down, top, lop, uproot, wilfully damage or wilfully destroy a protected tree without the authority's written consent — and that applies whether or not the work is connected to a planning application.

Trees within a conservation area carry a similar protection even without a formal TPO: anyone proposing work to them normally has to give the council six weeks' notice before starting, so the authority has the chance to make an order if it decides the tree is worth protecting.

Consent isn't a rubber stamp. An application has to identify the tree, describe the work and the reason for it, and is normally supported by evidence — condition, safety, species suitability — of the kind a BS5837 survey or arboricultural report already provides.

Where this fits with development: a site's planning authority holds the TPO register, and it's checked as a standard part of every BS5837 survey Mind the Trees carries out. Any protected trees on or near the site, what the order covers, and what that means for the proposed layout are identified and set out in the survey and Tree Constraints Plan — not sold as a separate service, just built into the report from the start.

See Services for what's included in a survey, or the cost breakdown for pricing. If a TPO is the only question — no development involved — get in touch and it's worth a conversation before assuming a full survey is needed.