Tree preservation orders
The council is responsible for the efficient
management and maintenance of trees within the authority's
area.
The law protects certain trees and groups of
trees. Those trees that have Tree Preservations Orders (TPOs) or
that fall within a Conservation Area are protected by
legislation that makes it an offence to carry out work on those
trees without permission from the council.
Trees that grow in council owned property or
on public open spaces are also protected as they are considered to
be council property. Anyone who wilfully damages these can be
prosecuted.
The authority has its own professional tree
officers who regularly inspect trees to ensure that they are safe,
in good condition and to pinpoint any work requirements.
Specialist tree contractors are employed to
carry out all appropriate tree maintenance to trees owned by the
council.
If you are intending to undertake works to a private
tree you are advised to
- Contact the council to ensure that the trees are not protected
by a Tree Protection Order, planning constraints or by location
within a Conservation Area.
- Always employ a suitably trained professional tree surgeon, who
is covered by public liability insurance, you will need to ask for
proof.
- Never employ house callers or leaflet droppers claiming to be
professional tree surgeons.
- Check professional identification and qualification proof.
Reputable tree surgeons will always be able to provide this.
- Reputable tree surgeons can be found in the Yellow Pages or
contact us for further advice
Trees which are protected by a TPO or fall within a
Conservation Area
If you want to fell or prune a tree protected
by a TPO or within a conservation area, you will need to seek
consent by completing a
TPO application form( 473kb).
Guidance notes for application form (pdf 100kb).
You can contact the planning department to find out whether a
particular tree is covered by an order, or whether it's protected
because it falls within a conservation area.
Tower Hamlets also keeps a list of trees that
are affected by tree preservation orders. You can make an
appointment to look at the list at our offices at:
Mulberry Place (AH)
PO Box 55739
5 Clove Crescent
London
E14 1BY
For more information about trees, contact the
planning department or download our
information leaflet (pdf 891k) on trees.
You will need Acrobat Reader to view the
above leaflets, which is available free of charge from the
Adobe website.
Contact details for trees in parks or on
highways
Email: parks@towerhamlets.gov.uk
Tel: 020 7364 3108
Fax: 020 7364 3186
Contact details for trees on housing estates
Tel: 020 7364 1418
Fax: 020 7364 0814