Tree Surveys in Preston: Planning Consent Acceptance

Preston Arboricultural Services

A small city known for Britain’s first motorway and the tallest spire in England, Preston in the North West has multiple historical offerings. In terms of rural areas, notable countryside attractions include the Guild Wheel, Bowland Lakes, Brockholes Nature Reserve, Hoghton Tower and Turbary Woods, featuring sections of ancient semi-natural woodland.

Despite recent disagreements between the council and the local planning committee, the city intends to utilise portions of the countryside for residential housing areas. Due to this and other matters involving trees in relation to design, demolition and construction work, Preston City Council brought in a variety of policies that prevented the environment from being tarnished as a result of harmful planning projects.

While it is possible that the protections around trees could pose a setback for property and land developers, you can minimise the likelihood of breaching these policies and avoid present tree stock on your proposed development site from causing potential risk to your development by arranging a tree survey with a trusted arboricultural consultancy.

Trees Managed by Preston City Council

Policies that are designed for conservation cover several core areas. For example, locations that are identified for holding architectural or historical significance are marked as conservation areas, meaning that the local council need to be consulted before developments are carried out. Conservation areas in Preston consist of Ashton, Avenham, Deepdale Enclosure, Fishergate Hill, Fulwood, Harris Children’s Home, Inglewhite, Market Place, Moor Park, St Ignatius and Winckley Square.

Under Article 4, even minor alterations in some conservation areas may require planning permission from the local council before any changes can be made. Trees are often a major obstacle for development projects, and within Preston’s policies, trees could be protected in conservation areas or under tee preservation orders (TPOs). A tree preservation order (TPO) is similar to a conservation area, except instead of groups of trees within an outlined location, individual trees are protected. Eight parks in the city are also protected under the Register of Parks and Gardens of Historical Interest in England, as well as a broader selection of areas featured in a Local Heritage List.

The Purpose of a Tree Survey

A BS5837 tree survey is an assessment of a plot of land where trees are situated that allows a qualified arboriculturist to determine the quality and value of each tree before issuing appropriate next steps, considering likely direct damage caused by the development, structural defects to the trees and the arboricultural requirements of the local planning authority. In any tree survey, retained trees will be a priority outcome, but if this is not possible, trees will need to be relocated or destroyed and compensated for with the planting of new trees.

Any tree condition surveys involve advanced surveying equipment, namely tree decay detection equipment to formulate an understanding of each tree’s current condition. With the information required from the assessment, the tree consultant can detail professional advice and an image displaying all trees on the site known as a tree constraints plan (TCP) within extensive tree reports. The report from the British standard assessment can then be passed on to the local planning authority to assist with your planning application.

Depending on the unique nature of the development site and the outcome of the tree survey, the tree surveyor may decide that further tree services are needed. Our team is fully qualified and has the professional indemnity and public liability insurance to provide tree surveys for a comprehensive range of clients, ranging from private individuals to large companies and from mortgage lenders to the public sector. As such, they can assist with any number of tree problems, including the stage two tree survey that features an arboricultural impact assessment (AIA), arboricultural method statement (AMS) and tree protection plan (TPP).

Work with a Qualified Arboriculturist

Both property and land developers who are planning a project in Preston or the surrounding areas would be advised to pick an arboricultural consultancy that possesses the necessary expertise for arboricultural services and can assist in planning applications. With this in mind, it would be worthwhile to consider Arbtech, particularly as we are a trusted company for tree surveys and have arboriculturists and ecologists located across the UK.

Before we can help you, however, we need the information required about your development site and project, allowing us to put together a free quote that is reflective of your needs. To book a tree survey with us and receive your quote, simply get in touch online or over the phone and we will be able to arrange a suitable date to visit your site, undertake the tree survey, and result in a planning application that will tick all of the boxes set by your local planning authority.