Tree Surveys in Wigan: Progressing Your Development

Wooded Areas Across Wigan

A traditionally industrial town, Wigan is formed from a combination of open rural areas and suburban communities. Although previously one of the cheapest locations in the UK in terms of property prices, a significant increase in the cost of properties in the town over recent times has indicated an emerging widespread interest in developing Wigan.

At the start of 2021, the Manchester Evening News claimed that Wigan had quickly become a property hotspot, with the average property price rising by just short of £20,000 compared to the year before. Rather than affecting neighbouring areas throughout Greater Manchester, the sudden change has only noticeably impacted Wigan, leading the town to hold a more expensive average house price than Bolton and Oldham.

The growth in popularity of buildings in Wigan has the potential to create fierce competition between land developers. It has also meant that Wigan Council has made moves to implement laws that protect the natural environment and ensure that any projects result in an increased state of biodiversity. Although both of these factors could act as hindrances to anyone looking to build in Wigan, it is possible to avoid delays caused by trees and acquire the necessary insight by booking a tree survey.

Obstacles for Development Projects in Wigan

To prevent the increase in developments from causing detrimental damage to the environment, Wigan Council created effective policies. Under these rules, building on plots of land that house listed buildings, protected trees and hedges, and structures that hold architectural or historical significance require prior permission from the council. Another consideration would be whether certain trees are covered by a tree preservation order (TPO).

Wigan also has a number of conservation areas, and with so many, it can be difficult to build in the area without having to inform the council beforehand, with conservation areas also protecting trees in relation to development in a similar way to Tree Preservation Orders, except covering groups of trees rather than individual trees. Prior consent is needed before construction work causes a potential impact on trees within either category, as without it, the local authority will be unlikely to grant planning conditions.

For clarity on this, conservation areas in Wigan include:

The BS5837 Tree Survey Process

In Wigan Council’s conservation and protection policies, trees feature as one of the priority areas due to the multiple ways in which they contribute positively to the environment. Consequently, it can be difficult to progress a property or land development project without breaching any rules that involve trees. A tried and tested method of avoiding any potential issues is through booking a BS5837 tree survey with a recommended arboricultural consultancy, allowing a tree consultant to provide arboricultural advice with the intention of establishing tree stock for retained trees and trees that need to be dealt with in other ways.

In BS5837 tree inspections, an experienced arboriculturist will conduct a site visit to assess every tree on the proposed development site, develop effective next steps for each tree depending on quality, value and current physiological and structural condition, and work within the laws of the corresponding council. More specifically, a tree constraints plan (TCP) will be assembled, featuring a CAD map of trees on the site and gradings for each tree to determine whether the best course of action would lead to tree removal and relocation, destruction or retention for the affected trees present.

Results from the survey and the retrieved detailed information will then be outlined thoroughly in an extensive tree report that will act as a key component in your application to the local planning authority for planning permission. While it is common to provide tree surveys for private individuals and commercial clients using a simple British standard arboricultural survey, if additional tree services are needed with the purpose of producing further survey information, we can turn our pragmatic approach to other arboricultural services such as stage two, consisting of an arboricultural impact assessment (AIA), arboricultural method statement (AMS) and tree protection plans (TPPs).

Get in Touch with Our Friendly Team

If you have trees on the plot of land you are developing, you will need to plan a BS5837 survey or other tree safety surveys as required. Our arboricultural consultants are situated across the UK – including Wigan and the neighbouring areas in the North West – making it possible to book one of our experts, with each of our arboricultural consultants being fully insured under sufficient professional indemnity and public liability insurance.

In our time, we have provided an excellent job to architects, developers, mortgage providers for mortgage purposes, local authorities and countless other individuals and professionals for various local tree problems. All you need to do is contact us using our email, phone number or quote form, give us details about your site address, the plot of land and development project, and we will give you a free quote and plan a suitable time to visit your site. From there, we can assemble tree reports and method statements, with such a report on trees contributing to a successful planning application.