Last updated: November 2024
Author: Rob Lambert
Editor at Arbtech, Rob is a content specialist who manages our ecology and arboriculture services copy to ensure it is accurate, up to date, and insightful for current and future clients.
Salisbury Countryside
A cathedral city in Wiltshire County, Salisbury is one of several iconic cities in South West England. It holds heaps of cultural and historical value and, along with Salisbury Cathedral – home of the country’s tallest church spire and one of four existing copies of the Magna Carta – the city also has the Roman ruins of Old Sarum and Stonehenge.
With a fair mix of urban and rural features across the city, Salisbury has a multitude of opportunities for planning future developments in the area. However, the intention to create more residential housing and properties that could be used for business purposes is only surpassed in terms of importance by a promise to maintain and enhance the quality of the environment.
Protecting Salisbury Trees
An effective method of protecting the natural assets in Salisbury is through the use of tree preservation orders (TPOs) and conservation areas. Both Salisbury City Council and Wilshire Council has these in place to ensure that specific trees or trees in certain areas are protected and only disturbed if the council grant permission.
Policies for both Salisbury City Council and Wilshire Council are the same, but with each TPO and conservation area being more specified in the city council’s policies. Although the prospect of inadvertently disturbing a tree that is situated in a conservation area or under an existing TPO can be concerning, you can often find details of affected trees and areas online. Likewise, an arboricultural consultant will be able to source this information and find suitable solutions for each tree during a tree survey.
The Tree Survey Process
Once a tree survey is booked, an arboricultural consultant will visit your site at a date and time you’ve decided to conduct an analysis of all tree stock in the form of a BS5837 assessment. After examining each individual tree, they will give them a grade to reflect their current quality and overall value. Based on these gradings, it will be easy to determine the best course of action for each tree, allowing the development to progress.
A corresponding report of the survey will be created by the arboricultural consultant who carried out the tree works. Likewise, as well as BS5837 tree surveys, a tree report would also be applicable for other tree services, such as a tree constraints plan or tree protection plan. With all recommendations and information on the site and each tree included, tree reports can be utilised as a key part of your application to the local authorities for planning permission.
Planning a Tree Survey
As soon as you believe that trees on your site could be impacted as a result of your development project, it would be advisable to book a tree survey. A qualified arboriculturist can then develop effective measures for each tree, prove evidence of this to the local planning authority and move your project into the next stage of the process while satisfying baseline requirements for planning applications.
Get in touch today to arrange the necessary tree work with one of our consultant arboriculturists. Simply call us directly, fill out the form on this page or visit the ‘Contact Us‘ section of our website, provide us with your details and we will give you a free quote based on your site and project. From there, we will be able to conduct the tree assessment you need, pass on the resulting tree reports to your local council, and help you in your search for a successful planning application.