A tree survey for a planning application in London starts at £485 with us. It is carried out by a partner arboriculturist and added to your planning job. If an impact assessment is needed on top, it is quoted separately.
Trees are protected in London in two ways: by a tree preservation order on a named tree, and automatically by a conservation area. In both cases, cutting down or damaging a tree without permission can be a criminal offence. An extension near a tree can harm its roots even where nothing is cut, so councils ask for a survey to see what is there and a plan to protect it. This article explains when that happens and what it costs.
What you pay for
The £485 buys a survey of the trees on and next to your site by an arboriculturist who works with us. The trees are identified, measured and plotted on a plan, with notes on their condition and size. It is added to your planning job, so the tree positions are on the same plan as the extension and the two are drawn together.
Not every project needs more than the survey. Where the extension is well away from every tree, the survey and plan may be all the council asks for. Where it is close, a separate impact assessment, with tree protection measures, is the next step, and its price depends on how many trees are involved.
How trees are protected
Government guidance describes the system. Trees in a conservation area are protected, and the owner must give the council notice, under section 211 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, six weeks before carrying out certain work. The work may go ahead if the council consents, or after the six weeks have passed without it making an order.
A tree preservation order is stronger: work needs the council's consent, and an application for it goes through a formal route set out in the Tree Preservation (England) Regulations 2012. Authorities decide such applications, and an applicant can appeal on grounds of non-determination if there is no decision within 8 weeks from the day it is received.
Photo: Maxwell Hamilton, BY 2.0
What happens if you get it wrong
Under section 210 of the 1990 Act, contravening a tree preservation order by cutting down, topping, lopping or wilfully damaging a protected tree is an offence. A person convicted on indictment is liable to a fine, and the court must have regard to any financial benefit that results.
Damage is not only the saw. Digging a foundation through the roots, compacting the ground with a digger or stacking materials under the crown can kill a tree slowly, and the owner is still responsible. A survey and a protection plan, agreed before work starts, are inexpensive insurance.
| Situation | What is needed |
|---|---|
| Tree in a conservation area, over 75 millimetres | 6 weeks' notice to the council before work |
| Tree under a preservation order | The council's consent before work |
| Tree near the extension, not protected | Still shown on the plans; roots may be a planning matter |
| No trees near the site | A survey is not normally needed |
How the survey fits the application
The statutory period for a householder-scale application is 8 weeks from the day after the council receives a valid one. Having the survey ready on day one avoids a request for information that can stop the clock.
The figures in this article, and where they come from
Section 211 requires 6 weeks' notice to the council before certain work on trees in a conservation area.
Source: legislation.gov.uk, Town and Country Planning Act 1990, section 211The conservation area notice rule does not apply to cutting down or lopping a tree whose diameter does not exceed 75 millimetres, measured over the bark at 1.5 metres above ground.
Source: GOV.UK, Tree preservation orders and trees in conservation areasIf a council has not decided a tree works consent application within 8 weeks from the day it is received, the applicant may appeal on grounds of non-determination.
Source: GOV.UK, Tree preservation orders and trees in conservation areasSection 210 makes cutting down, topping, lopping or wilfully damaging a tree in contravention of a preservation order an offence, punishable on conviction on indictment by a fine.
Source: legislation.gov.uk, Town and Country Planning Act 1990, section 210A council has 8 weeks to decide a non-major planning application from the day after it receives it.
Source: legislation.gov.uk, Development Management Procedure Order 2015, article 34
Questions people ask
How do I know if a tree is protected?
Ask the council, which holds a map of preservation orders, and check whether your address is in a conservation area. Every tree in a conservation area is covered by the notice rule, apart from the small trees that are exempt.
Do I need a survey if the tree is on my neighbour's land?
Often yes. The roots of a neighbour's tree can run under your garden, and the council considers the effect on the tree whoever owns it. The survey plots trees within reach of the works.
Can I remove a tree to make room for my extension?
Only with the right permission. A tree in a conservation area needs 6 weeks' notice. A tree under a preservation order needs consent. Removing it without permission risks prosecution.
What does an impact assessment add?
It sets out how the building work will affect each tree, what protective fencing and working methods will be used, and what, if anything, must be removed. It is quoted on top of the survey where the council or the site calls for it.
Is a tree survey the same as a tree health report?
No. A survey for planning records the trees and their position and size so the design can respect them. A health report is about the condition and safety of a tree. They overlap, but the planning survey comes first.
Tree Survey for Planning: from £485
What you get
- Survey by a partner arboriculturist
- Added to your planning job
- Trees plotted on the same plan as your extension
The total you pay, fixed in writing before you commit. Council fees are separate and paid to the council. Prices checked 24 October 2026.
How our tree survey for planning service works