What does an order protect?
A TPO can protect an individual tree, a group, an area or woodland. The order's wording and plan establish what is covered. Restrictions include cutting down, uprooting, topping, lopping, wilful damage and wilful destruction, subject to the statutory exceptions. [1]
Do not rely only on a tree symbol on a general planning map. Obtain the actual order and ask the council to clarify unclear references or boundaries. Wandsworth's tree guidance, for example, provides a separate route for TPO information and applications. [3]
A TPO can matter even where the trunk is outside the extension footprint. Trenching, root cutting and changes close to a protected tree need consideration, not just a decision on whether the branches obstruct the proposed roof. [2]
Apply for the work you actually propose
Identify each tree and explain the proposed operation clearly. A specification should make the amount and location of pruning understandable, with reasons and supporting evidence where required. A sketch plan and consistent tree references help connect the application with the site. Unsupported descriptions such as “dangerous tree” do not establish an exemption or justify every proposed operation. [1]
Where foundations or excavation are involved, ask an arboricultural adviser to assess the relationship between the building work and the tree. Resolve that advice with the layout rather than leaving root protection until the contractor starts digging. [2]
The authority normally has eight weeks to decide a valid TPO application unless a longer period is agreed. No decision does not mean consent has automatically been granted; the national guidance explains the appeal route where the decision is late. Read any consent and its conditions before arranging work. [1]
Do the conservation-area size exceptions help?
Not automatically. The conservation-area rules for trees without a TPO have their own notice requirements and diameter exceptions. They must not be used as a substitute for checking the terms and exceptions applying to a tree already covered by an order. [1]
Similarly, a six-week conservation-area notice is not an application for TPO consent. Establish which procedure applies before submitting anything, especially where the tree has recently been protected. [1]
Dead trees, urgent risks and planning permission
There are limited exceptions. Work to a dead tree normally requires five working days' prior written notice; urgently necessary work arising from an immediate risk of serious harm has a separate exception. Retain photographs and professional evidence, and confine any urgent work to what the exception actually permits. A tree being inconvenient or merely described as diseased is not the same test. [1]
Full planning permission can authorise tree work necessary to implement that permission, but it is not unrestricted consent for every tree operation on the site. Confirm how the approved drawings and conditions relate to the particular tree; outline permission does not provide the same exception. [1]
Finally, a tree consent does not displace protected-species law. Check active bird nests and bat-roost potential before carrying out the authorised work. The tree and wildlife questions must both be resolved. [4] [5]