Building & Planning Applications

When trees exist on a proposed development site, some of them may be removed to enable building to take place, whilst others will need to remain.

Any surveys undertaken on a proposed development site have to be carried out in line with British Standard (BS5837:2012) –‘Trees in Relation to Design, Demolition and Construction Recommendations’. This considers factors such as the species and size of the trees in order to recognise those that should remain and those that can be removed.

A tree constraints plan, which comes with the survey, specifies any restrictions on the development as a result of the survey. Most Councils also require an arboricultural impact assessment and tree protection plan as part of any planning application. This has to include measures to be taken to protect any remaining trees whilst construction is underway (see Tree Protection Fencing below)