Tree Surveys in Bradford: Remove Tree-Related Issues

Bradford City Trees

Becoming more green over the past two decades, Bradford is growing into an eco-friendly city with an eye on the natural world. Currently, more than half of Bradford is green open space and 9.8% of the population live in rural areas – a relatively high figure for the fourth largest metropolitan district in the country.

With 59 conservation areas, 267 hectares of park trees, 590 hectares of woodland trees and an estimated 20,000 highway trees, the local council are showing an intention to protect existing natural features and enhance the quality of the environment by increasing the number of trees in the area. Initiatives involving planting more trees in Bradford include the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council’s ‘Take Climate Action‘ scheme which aims to plant a tree for every child in Bradford and ‘Trees for Streets‘ which encourages residents to get involved with local tree planting.

Protected trees situated across Bradford support a higher quality environment for the city’s inhabitants. Developers initiating planning projects in Bradford, however, are likely to find them as an obstacle that could significantly hinder their development. Fortunately, any developers who want to avoid issues caused by protected trees and surpass any potential issues by applying for planning permission can do just that by hiring an arboriculturist for a tree survey.

Efforts to Protect Bradford Trees

All council websites in England – including the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council – have a section on tree protection. The two main policies are tree preservation orders (TPO) and conservation areas. If any trees on a development site fall under either category, they will need prior consent from the council before any work that could potentially disrupt or damage them is undertaken.

A tree preservation order (TPO) will be given to individual trees and a conservation area will apply to all trees and other heritage assets within a specific zone. Before any trees are disturbed in any way, the developer would need prior consent from the council.

The local council are also within their right to enforce conditions on trees that aren’t under an existing TPO or situated within a listed conservation area. As such, the insight and expertise of a licensed arboricultural consultant will eliminate any confusion over trees on the site and approach each tree appropriately in regard to protections from the local authorities.

Surveys and Reports for Trees

An arboricultural surveyor will often analyse trees on a site using a BS5837 tree survey – a form of arboricultural assessment that enables them to rate all trees and gauge appropriate next steps for each tree present. The basis of a BS5837 tree survey will involve inspecting all trees and giving each of them a grading based on condition and value. A mitigation hierarchy will then be used to figure out the most suitable outcomes.

In any circumstance, an arboriculturist will always rank the option of retaining trees the highest. Alternatively, trees will need to be relocated elsewhere inside or outside of the development site if they are acting as an obstacle to the development and the plans cannot be changed to cater to them. As a last result, trees that hold little to no value or are in poor condition will be destroyed, and the arboricultural consultant will compensate by planting new trees.

Upon completion of the tree survey, a tree report will be created, and it can be viewed by the developer and the planning department of the local authority. Featuring information about the BS5837 tree survey process, details of trees on the development site, steps for each tree present and recommendations for further surveys needed on the site, the arboricultural report will include everything the City of Bradford Council planning officer needs to approve an application for planning permission.

Specialists for Tree Surveys

Every arboriculturist in our ranks holds the qualifications, experience, knowledge and licensing to conduct the necessary tree survey on professional and private development sites. Coverage across the United Kingdom means that we can provide tree surveys all over the country, enabling us to undertake a tree survey in Hull, other areas of the Yorkshire and the Humber region and distant parts of the UK.

Talk to Arbtech and provide our team with specifications of your site and project by calling us, filling out a quote form or using our other communication options. Based on these details, we will develop a free quote that is completely accurate. Providing you are happy to move forward, our team will work with you to choose a date that suits you, visit your site for a tree survey, and help you to get your project through planning.