Tree Surveys in Leeds: Eliminate Arboricultural Issues

Woodland in the City of Leeds

Ranked as one of the greenest cities in the country, Leeds has an eye on conserving, preserving and protecting the natural world. In fact, an impressive two-thirds of the city is considered rural, and 16.9% of the population occupy rural areas. Considering that Yorkshire and the Humber has a vast number of countryside locations and attractions, the figures are promising, particularly for a city.

Part of what makes the City of Leeds so strong in terms of biodiversity and ecology is the large number of parks and open spaces. Currently, Leeds has 62 community parks across the city, including Roundhay Park – one of the biggest parks in all of Europe, spanning across 700 acres of parkland and woodlands. Between independent communities and government initiatives, efforts to increase the number of trees in Leeds are ongoing, including a pledge from Leeds City Council to plant 5.8 million new trees.

Although Leeds clearly has an extensive selection of untouched areas to stage planning projects, developers may still find problems with seeing their development through to completion. The local authorities will want to retain as much of that environmental quality as possible, and even trees alone can cause a significant obstacle in the planning process. Gauging the level of interference on the project and satisfying the restrictions of the local planning authority to grant planning permission, however, is possible through booking a tree survey with a reputable arboricultural consultancy.

Tree Protection for Trees Across Leeds

A section of the Leeds City Council website emphasises the regulations around tree works and preservation. It states that before disturbing a tree, developers need to check that the tree isn’t under an ongoing tree preservation order (TPO), in a listed conservation area, or within any existing planning or legal conditions. At this point, it may also be necessary to see whether a felling licence from the Forestry Commission would be needed.

Tree preservation orders (TPOs) and conservation areas are the two most common forms of protections in regard to trees under the jurisdiction of the local council. Both operate in similar ways, specifically in the sense that the council must give prior consent before any trees within these criteria are disturbed. However, a tree preservation order (TPO) will be given to individual trees, while a conservation area will apply to all trees within a stated zone.

Assessments on Trees

In order to bypass the issues that could arise from TPOs or conservation areas that impact your development, an arboriculturist would recommend a baseline assessment known as a BS5837 tree survey. When a tree survey has been arranged, a professional arboricultural consultant will attend the site and look at all trees present, determining the condition and value of each tree before deciding the best approach for each tree by rating them using a grading system.

An arboricultural surveyor’s preferred outcome will always be to retain as many trees as possible, especially if they are in good condition, hold value and are unlikely to clash with the development. Alternatively, trees that are in poor condition, lacking value or causing potential hazards to people on the site will be destroyed. If, however, trees are obstructing the development but are worth keeping, the arboriculturist will move them elsewhere on or off the site.

After any of our assessments, we will create a report to explain the nature of the survey and the next steps that will contribute to planning applications. The same is true of tree surveys, with our arboricultural consultants writing up a comprehensive overview of trees on the site with mitigation measures that will demonstrate feasibility to move forward to the local planning authority. With the help of an expert arboricultural surveyor, the planning officer from Leeds City Council should have no reason but to grant a planning condition on the site.

Leeds Tree Survey Experts

All of the arboriculturists we hire are suitably licensed and qualified to undertake tree surveys on the sites of private or professional clients. Arbtech also guarantees that arboricultural assessments can be carried out anywhere in the United Kingdom, with arboricultural consultants situated in all areas, making it possible for you to arrange a tree survey in Leeds, other areas of Yorkshire or further sections of the UK.

To start the process, contact our team by filling in our quote form or calling us directly, and we will use the specifications of your site and project to produce a free quote. As soon as we get the go-ahead from you, we will work with you to decide on an appropriate date to visit your site. Then, with the help of our arboricultural surveyors, we can conduct a tree survey on your site and provide all of the insights needed to gain planning consent from the local authorities.