Tree Surveys in Coventry: Guaranteed Planning Consent

Valuable and High-Quality Trees

If your development site in Coventry contains one or more of the estimated 2,000+ trees under the estimated 460 active tree preservation orders (TPOs), or if your scheme is situated within or in close proximity to any of the local conservation areas, your planning project may be more complicated than first expected. A tree preservation order (TPO) or conservation area won’t, however, act as an insurmountable hurdle, and our expert arboricultural surveys will be equipped to provide a solution.

Even if you aren’t certain that present trees are protected, a tree survey may be needed as a precaution before you can realistically put forward a planning application. Coventry City Council could ask you for tree surveys for any number of reasons, but for the sake of simplicity, it is to be expected that a visual tree assessment may be requested due to one or more trees featuring on or near your site, particularly if your development plans are expected to disturb them.

A planning case officer will be forced to defend their decision to grant planning permission on all sites they oversee. For that to be possible and the outcome to be successful, they need sufficient evidence and a certain level of attention to detail that will explain how trees will be sufficiently addressed and mitigated. A lack of information or next steps will leave them with no choice but to refuse the planning application, whereas a tree report from one of our team will more than suffice.

Coventry’s Green Development Aspirations

The chances of you needing a BS5837 tree survey to get planning consent have never been higher, and they are only likely to rise further. The number of trees in Coventry is on the up due to planting initiatives led by the local authority and community groups. In 2019, many local authorities pledged to plant one tree for every citizen in their catchment. Coventry was no exception, with the local authority aiming to plant as many as 360,000 new trees across the city.

Tree planting is part of a wider strategy to protect the environment and reduce the city’s carbon footprint. Coventry City Council’s Green Space Strategy makes it clear that trees are integral to this aim, and they employ a wide range of tactics to protect the city’s rich tree stock. In the strategy, it is emphasised that all development that takes place must enhance green spaces rather than detracting from them, and it insists on the importance of the unacceptable loss or damage to existing trees or woodland.

It is crucial to stress that the restrictions in place aren’t intended to halt development completely, as significant projects such as the large student accommodation build in the Oaks and the production of a factory for creating lithium-ion batteries for electric cars are going ahead as planned. Developers will, however, always be required to juggle the parameters of the local council and residents, with one community group going as far as holding a funeral for lost trees, even though the felled trees were replaced with like-for-like new specimens.

BS5837 Tree Assessments and Planning Permission

Although other types of tree surveys are available such as an arboricultural impact assessment (AIA), the British standard inspection that typically corresponds with development is the BS5837 tree survey. A specialist tree surveyor will visit the site, analyse all present trees, and put them into categories based on value and condition. An AutoCAD map will then be created to outline the status and location of all trees, and it can be passed on to design teams as an overlay to the existing development plans.

Alongside the map, a detailed report will be produced with the intention of explaining the findings from the tree survey and recommendations for each and every tree between retention, relocation and destruction. The best case scenario will be to retain as many trees as possible even if it means altering the development plans, and the worst case scenario will be to destroy as few trees as possible, but with the caveat that new trees will be planted as a form of equal compensation.

Potentially disputable applications for planning consents will be addressed in tree reports. All information from the tree survey is covered at length regarding the new development, all involved development sites, and any conflict between trees and the project. With every box ticked, tree reports can then be passed on to the local planning authority to directly answer any concerns and reason with any factors that would otherwise harm planning applications.

Book a Tree Survey on Your Development Site

If you are in need of a tree survey that contains all of the advice required to secure planning permission and you want it to be undertaken by an expert tree surveyor with local knowledge, Arbtech is the best possible option. By situating arboricultural consultants all over the country, we have made it possible to be in any location and request tree surveys, Coventry and other parts of the West Midlands included.

Any time we are needed, we can attend the affected development sites and provide innovative solutions during the process of conducting the necessary tree surveys and assist with any relevant matters such as tree constraints plans, tree protection plans and root protection areas. All trees on the site or in close proximity to the site will be taken into consideration, leaving no stone left unturned and all matters integrated into the eventual decisions regarding your development.

For a free quote that evaluates the cost of carrying out British standard tree surveys on your site, you can call us, email us, or fill in the form at the bottom of this page. If you want more information about getting in touch with us, visit our contact page. Our team will use the details of your planning project to assemble your quote, and you can then work with us to find a desirable date for us to visit your site. On the day of the tree survey, a tree consultant will perform the inspection, and you will receive a detailed report that can be handed to your local planning authority to help your application for planning consent.