Tree Surveys in Liverpool: Gain Planning Consent

Parks and Open Spaces Across Liverpool

Holding the largest population of any borough within the Merseyside county, the City of Liverpool is home to 42 district areas. Sharing similarities with London, Manchester and other areas that are predominantly urban, Liverpool has grown as an urban location in recent times, bringing exposure and revenue to the city, but at the expense of the natural environment.

Even though Liverpool is formed from a significant number of developed locations, there are numerous rural attractions including two Grade 1 locations, five Grade 2 locations, and ten listed parks and cemeteries. Parks and open spaces in Liverpool amount to over 30 locations, with the combined number of rural areas equating to an accumulative 696.6 hectares of countryside within the city.

As ever, developments in a city like Liverpool come thick and fast, with no intention of slowing any time soon. But with local biodiversity and ecology suffering harm as a result of these planning projects, the local council and independent initiatives have pledged to increase the number of trees in the area. The strongest example of this is the Mersey Forest – a vast community of people that have already planted more than nine million trees in the Merseyside area.

The local council aim to conserve, preserve and protect trees and other natural assets throughout Liverpool by enforcing strict rules. These rules affect developers more than anyone because they prevent granted planning applications on planning projects that haven’t had the necessary inspections to appease the local authorities. For a comprehensive tree assessment on your development site and a report that contains the reliable and effective information needed by the local planning authority to grant planning consent, the best course of action would be to arrange a tree survey.

Liverpool’s Initiatives to Protect Trees

Rules and regulations around trees are clearly explained on the Liverpool City Council website. Under the ‘trees, hedges and conservation‘ part of the ‘planning and building control‘ section, a page details the nature of tree protections for trees located within the City of Liverpool. The two primary forms of tree protection consist of tree preservation orders (TPOs) and conservation areas, preventing cutting down, lopping, uprooting or topping of trees without prior consent from the local council.

More specifically, both tree preservation orders (TPOs) and conservation areas offer the same level of coverage to trees but provide protection in different ways. For instance, while a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) will apply to individual trees on the site, a conservation area will apply to any number of single trees within a certain zone. At any point where a planning project involves a tree under an existing TPO or a conservation area with trees present, the developer would need to give six weeks’ notice to Liverpool City Council before causing any disturbance to the trees or face penalties in the form of fines or even jail time.

BS5837 Tree Assessments

Based on the implications of conservation areas and tree preservation orders, developers may encounter multiple obstructions during the planning process. Any and all potential issues can be identified and mitigated, however, by organising a BS5837 tree survey and working closely with an arboriculturist from a recognised arboricultural consultancy possessing a proven track record for arboricultural reports. Once a suitable date has been confirmed, one of our arboricultural consultants will attend the development site for a site visit to undertake any Liverpool tree surveys. Over the course of the BS5837 arboricultural survey, they will analyse all trees on or in close proximity to the site, branding them with grading to judge the most suitable course of action for each tree.

With tree condition and value acting as the basis for how trees are graded, the outcome will determine whether trees are retained, relocated or destroyed. In the majority of cases, trees will be retained due to holding value or simply not experiencing any disruption from the development. If, however, trees are obstructing the land or property development or are in a poor condition to such an extent that they aren’t valuable or could infringe on tree safety or even cause danger to people on the site, the arboricultural surveyor will recommend moving them elsewhere on or off the site or destroying them.

Featuring details of the BS5837 tree survey, an arboricultural method statement, tree constraints plan and tree protection plan, and specific data taken from the site in regards to trees present, the arboricultural consultant will work closely with you to create a comprehensive tree report within a few days of completing the assessment. A tree survey report will also include the necessary measures needed to meet the requirements of the local planning authority, showing transparency to your planning officer and bolstering planning applications made to the council’s planning department.

Tree Specialists in Liverpool

In our more than 15 years of conducting arboricultural and ecological assessments, Arbtech has grown into a trusted resource for the surveys needed to eliminate potential issues and grant planning permission. The arboriculturists within our ranks are chosen based on strict requirements involving their qualifications, skills, practical experience and general attitude. With such a focus on individual traits and academic qualities, we can guarantee a universal standard across all of our surveys.

Our business model allows us to provide tree surveying and arboricultural services to private sector and public sector clients across the United Kingdom, as well as sections of mainland Europe upon request, to benefit remedial works, property or land developments, and even working closely with mortgage providers and lenders as part of the mortgage purposes. Whether your site is in Liverpool, other sections of Merseyside, outreaching areas of North West England or distant areas of the UK, we can send an arboricultural surveyor to your site for an assessment.

To start the process, simply get in touch with Arbtech today. Contact our team by filling in a quote form or calling us directly and giving us as much detail about your site and project as possible. We can then create a free quote for you based on these details, and if you are happy to proceed, we will send an arboricultural consultant to your site and undertake a tree survey, help you with impartial advice to meet the requirements of the local council, and produce tree reports to support your application for a planning condition.