When does a project need arboricultural information?
Start with the proposed building, excavation, access and landscape changes, then identify the trees that may be affected. Camden asks for information about existing trees and their relationship to the proposal; Westminster's 2026 list expressly includes adjacent trees and street trees. The issue is potential impact, not merely who owns the tree. [1] [2]
An extension can affect trees without removing their trunks. Ask the arboriculturist to review the whole scheme, including proposed levels, drainage routes and the space needed during construction. Do not leave the assessment until the building footprint is treated as unchangeable.
What are the three main documents?
The survey supplies the existing-tree information. The impact assessment relates that information to the development, including trees to be retained or removed and the implications for their future condition. The protection plan translates the agreed approach into drawings and measures the construction team can follow. Camden's guidance asks for this information to be coordinated with landscaping and site-level changes. [1]
For a useful brief, request:
- A tree schedule and plan that use matching tree reference numbers.
- An assessment based on the actual proposed layout, not an earlier sketch.
- Clear protection measures and any specialist working methods needed.
- A coordinated landscape proposal showing replacement or additional planting where relevant.
These are commissioning checks; the exact submission package should follow the council's requirements and the consultant's assessment of the site.
Who prepares it?
Use a suitably qualified arboriculturist. Westminster's local list identifies qualified arboricultural input and refers to BS 5837. The British Standards Institution still identifies BS 5837:2012 as current, under review, when checked on 2 October 2026. A proposed replacement should not be treated as the published standard before it is issued. [2] [3]
Ask whether the appointment covers only the planning report or also pre-start advice, supervision of sensitive work and responses to site changes. A planning-stage plan does not automatically appoint its author to oversee the contractor.
Coordinate trees with other disciplines
Give the tree information to the architect, structural engineer and drainage designer. Review conflicts between retained trees and foundations, below-ground works, access and proposed surface treatments as a team. The aim is a design that can actually be constructed while following the protection measures, rather than separate reports making incompatible assumptions. [1]
Do not assume a BNG exemption removes the need for tree information. BNG exemptions address a particular biodiversity obligation; the council's tree assessment requirements remain a separate part of understanding the proposal's effects. [4] [2]
Before submission, check that the tree references, removals and proposed levels agree across all drawings. Before construction, make sure the protection information forms part of the contractor's working documents, not just the planning application's archive.