Earlier this year, a new client in Bristol asked us if we could help them with building an extension on their property. They wanted to extend their house, but with a handful of trees on their land they had been asked to carry out a tree survey to determine if these trees needed to be protected.
Most of our tree survey work is done in the South East but we carry out a significant amount of work all over the UK, with areas like Bristol becoming a common location for us.
What exactly is a BS5837 Tree Survey?
BS5837 simply means that the survey will be done to a recognised standard – British Standard 5837:2012. This survey aims to identify any trees on a site that need to be protected. When clients are asked for a survey by their local authority, there will be a tree officer working there who will use this same standard to inform his or her decision. Part of this BS5837 standard includes something called a tree constraint plan which is a clear plan, drawn using software called AutoCAD which is combined with a site plan and shows the positions and dimensions of trees on a site.
What We Did
First, our tree consultant Dave Garrik obtained site plans from our client and went over the project with them so he understood exactly what they were proposing to do. After answering all the clients questions Dave arranged a time and a place to go to the site and carry out the survey.
Dave visited the site and carried out the survey. He used a couple of useful gadgets which allow us to work faster and more efficiently, saving our clients time and money. One of these gadgets was a handheld global positioning system to accurately plot locations of trees on site and another was a device which stores the schedule data (such as a tree’s highlight, species, conditions, etc) and the spatial information of trees. Back at his office, Dave produced his reports in AutoCAD and PDF formats and he then sent his final report to the client’s architect to inform the final stages of the design process.
The Results
Following on from our fast, efficient service (this project was done in a matter of days!) our client was able to carry on with their development plans knowing exactly what kinds of constraints are in place due to trees on the site. The client went on to obtain their planning permission and built their extension earlier this year.
If you would like a tree survey in Bristol, or anywhere else in the UK, please get in touch today so that we can provide you with a free quote.