π² Nottingham Tree Surgery and Arborist Services
Getting Permission for Tree Felling in Nottingham
- NPTC Qualified
- Familiar with which
- Fully Insured
Getting Permission for Tree Felling in Nottingham
- NPTC Level 2 and 3 qualified, so timber volume calculations and felling risk assessments are done properly rather than guessed
- Familiar with which Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire councils hold which Tree Preservation Order and conservation area registers
- Written paperwork you can hand straight to your council, insurer, solicitor or mortgage lender
What our permission-checking service covers
- Checking whether a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) applies to the specific tree or to the property it stands on
- Checking whether the address sits inside a designated conservation area, and what that means for the tree work you want done
- Calculating timber volume against the 5 cubic metre per calendar quarter threshold that decides whether a Forestry Commission felling licence is needed
- Completing and submitting felling licence applications to the Forestry Commission
- Submitting TPO consent applications or the six weeks' written notice required for conservation area trees to the relevant local council
- Photographing and recording the tree's species, condition and site position before work starts, which matters if you're relying on a dead, dying or dangerous tree exemption
- Liaising directly with council tree officers and Forestry Commission caseworkers on your behalf so you're not the one on hold
- Providing written confirmation of permission or exemption that you can pass to your council, insurer, solicitor or mortgage lender
Not Included / Costed Separately
- Formal legal appeals if a council refuses a TPO application β that's a job for a planning solicitor, not a tree surgeon
- Planning permission for development-related felling, which is a separate process from a felling licence and applies when tree removal is tied to a building project
- Any guarantee over the Forestry Commission's or council's decision, or a fixed turnaround date β once an application's submitted, the timescale is in their hands, and Forestry Commission guidance itself only quotes 'around' 10-12 weeks
- Replanting or restocking work required under a restocking notice β that's quoted separately once the exact requirement is confirmed
- Felling on land you don't own, or don't hold written consent from the owner to fell on
How we take a tree from βcan I fell this?β to permission in hand
- Initial call: Tell us roughly where the tree or trees are, what species if you know it, and why you want them down. That's usually enough for us to flag whether permission is likely to be a straightforward check or a longer application.
- Site visit: George or a team member comes out to measure the tree, confirm the species, estimate timber volume, and check the address against the local council's TPO and conservation area registers. This is also when we look at access, what's nearby, and whether the felling itself is straightforward or needs rigging.
- Checks and applications: Depending on what the site visit finds, we complete and submit whatever's actually needed - a felling licence application to the Forestry Commission, a TPO consent application, or a conservation area notice - and give you a realistic timescale rather than a guess.
- The waiting period: Felling licences typically take around 10-12 weeks to come back, and conservation area notices carry a statutory six-week minimum before work can start. We keep track of where the application's up to so you're not the one chasing the council or the Forestry Commission.
- The felling work: Once permission's confirmed, or an exemption such as a genuinely dead or dangerous tree is properly documented, we schedule the felling itself and carry it out with the right rigging, ropework or MEWP access for the tree and site.
- Completion and paperwork: Site cleared and timber or arisings dealt with as agreed, plus a copy of the permission or exemption documentation for your own records, your council, or your insurer if they ask for it later.
What getting permission actually costs
The felling licence application itself is free β the Forestry Commission doesn't charge a fee to apply, and the same is generally true of a TPO consent application or a conservation area notice submitted to your local council. What you're paying us for is the time to visit the site, measure and identify the tree, work out whether a licence or consent is actually needed in the first place, and then prepare and submit the paperwork correctly so it isn't kicked back for missing detail. That cost gets folded into the overall quote for the job rather than charged as a separate fee, and it varies with how many trees are involved and how much checking they need. A single garden tree with no TPO and no conservation area issue might need nothing more than a five-minute check on site. A group of trees near the 5 cubic metre quarterly threshold, or a tree on a TPO-heavy road, takes longer to get right. A full, accurate figure needs a site visit β we're not going to quote a number over the phone for a tree we haven't seen.
Permission needed by situation
| Situation | Permission usually needed? | Who you apply to | Typical timescale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ordinary garden tree, no TPO, no conservation area, under 5mΒ³ of timber per quarter | Generally no felling licence required | N/A β but worth confirming before cutting | Checks done same visit |
| Tree covered by a Tree Preservation Order | Written consent from the local council required | District or city council tree officer | Around 8 weeks for a decision |
| Tree inside a conservation area | Six weeks' written notice to the council, unless exempt | Council conservation/tree team | 6-week statutory minimum |
| Felling more than 5 cubic metres of timber in a calendar quarter, no TPO | Forestry Commission felling licence required | Forestry Commission | Around 10-12 weeks |
| Dead, dying or dangerous tree, even under a TPO | Often exempt, but notice and photographic evidence to the council beforehand is strongly advised | Council tree officer, notified where possible before work | Can be immediate in a genuine emergency, but evidence afterwards still matters |
Why get a qualified arborist to check permission, not just fell the tree
George Beck is NPTC qualified with over 20 years caring for trees across Nottingham, Derby and the surrounding areas, and the certificates that matter for this side of the job specifically are the Level 3 competences in Felling and Processing Medium Trees (0039-33) and Large Trees over 760mm (0039-34), plus Emergency Treework Planning (0039-36) β the one that's relevant when a dead or dangerous tree exemption is being claimed and the reasoning needs to stand up to scrutiny afterwards. Full public liability and employers' liability insurance is in place, with documentation available on request, which matters if your council or insurer asks for evidence alongside the felling paperwork. We're based at 20 Prince St in Long Eaton, so we're dealing with Erewash, Broxtowe and Nottingham City TPO registers on a regular basis, not looking them up for the first time. Ruth Nettleship in West Bridgford had a large larch removed promptly with the site left clean and tidy, and David King on The Park Estate had a mature 25m copper beech, never previously pruned, reduced by 20% β the kind of tree where getting the felling volume calculation and any TPO check right before work starts isn't optional. The team is small and personal β you deal with George directly rather than a call centre, seven days a week, with a 24/7 service for storm damage and genuinely hazardous trees.
Where we handle permission checks
Nottingham is our main patch, and permission for tree felling is genuinely local β each council keeps its own TPO register and decides its own conservation area boundaries, so which one you're dealing with depends on the postcode. In Nottingham itself that's Nottingham City Council, which covers conservation areas like The Park Estate and parts of the Lace Market where TPOs are common on mature street and garden trees. South of the river, West Bridgford, Ruddington, Edwalton and Radcliffe on Trent fall under Rushcliffe Borough Council, along with Bingham. To the west, Beeston, Bramcote and Stapleford sit with Broxtowe Borough Council. Carlton, Arnold, Gedling and Mapperley are Gedling Borough Council's patch. We're based in Long Eaton, which along with Ilkeston falls under Erewash Borough Council, and we regularly cover Heanor, Ripley and Alfreton in Amber Valley, over the border in Derbyshire. Further out, Newark-on-Trent and Southwell sit with Newark and Sherwood District Council, Worksop with Bassetlaw District Council, and Mansfield and Hucknall have their own district authorities again β all separate registers, all worth checking before you assume a tree is clear to fell.
Questions about permission and felling licences
Do I need a licence to cut down a tree on my own land?
Not always. Most single garden trees don't need a Forestry Commission felling licence because they fall well under the 5 cubic metre per calendar quarter threshold. But owning the land doesn't override a Tree Preservation Order or conservation area status β those apply regardless of who owns the tree, so the volume threshold is only one part of the check.
How long does it take to get a tree felling licence approved?
The Forestry Commission's own guidance quotes around 10-12 weeks from a complete application. It can move faster if the case is straightforward and the paperwork's right first time, which is part of why we prepare the application ourselves rather than leaving it to guesswork β a licence sent back for missing detail just adds weeks.
What's a Tree Preservation Order and how do I check if one applies to my tree?
A TPO is an order made by the local council that makes it a legal requirement to get written consent before felling, topping, lopping or even heavily pruning a protected tree. It can cover an individual tree, a group, or a whole woodland. Councils hold public TPO registers, but they're not always easy to search yourself, which is why we check the register that applies to your specific address as part of the site visit.
Can I be fined for felling a tree without permission?
Yes, and felling a tree that's covered by a TPO or in a conservation area without the required consent is a criminal offence, not just a civil matter. Penalties can run into thousands of pounds and are calculated with reference to the value of the tree, and on top of any fine, the council can issue a restocking notice requiring you to replant a replacement tree at your own cost. It's a real enough risk that checking first is always cheaper than dealing with it after the fact.
Is permission needed to fell a dead or dangerous tree?
There's a general exemption for dead trees and for trees that present an immediate risk to safety, even where a TPO applies. But 'obviously dead' and 'genuinely dangerous' need to be demonstrable, not assumed β councils have taken enforcement action where a felled tree turned out not to meet the exemption. We photograph and document the tree's condition before work for exactly this reason, and where there's time, notifying the council first is worth doing even under the exemption.
Do conservation areas affect what tree work I can carry out?
Yes. Trees in a conservation area over a certain size generally need six weeks' written notice to the council before you can fell, top or lop them, even without a specific TPO in place. The council can use that six weeks to decide whether to make a TPO on the tree, which is one of the more common ways felling plans get delayed if the notice isn't submitted early enough.
How does George Beck check TPO and conservation area status for Nottingham City Council properties before quoting?
We check the address against Nottingham City Council's published TPO register and conservation area maps as part of the site visit, alongside a visual assessment of the tree itself. For addresses in conservation areas like The Park Estate, we factor the six-week notice period into the timescale we give you from the outset, rather than it coming as a surprise once you're ready to book the work in.
What paperwork do you provide if I need evidence of permission for my council or insurer?
You get a copy of whatever's relevant to your situation β the felling licence or TPO consent confirmation itself, or, where an exemption applies, our written assessment and dated photographs showing the tree's condition before felling. That's the documentation most insurers and councils ask for if a felled tree is ever queried after the fact.
Can a tree surgeon apply for permission on my behalf?
Yes, and it's usually more reliable than doing it yourself if you're not familiar with the process β the Forestry Commission and local councils want specific information in an application, and having it in front of you the first time you fill it in is what keeps it from being sent back for missing detail. We submit felling licence applications and TPO or conservation area notices as a standard part of this service.
Get the permission question settled before you book the felling
If you're not sure whether a tree needs a felling licence, sits under a TPO, or is inside a conservation area, that's exactly the kind of question worth asking before any work is booked in rather than after. A site visit settles it properly, gives you a realistic timescale, and means the felling itself can go ahead as soon as permission's confirmed rather than getting held up partway through. Get in touch for a free quote and we'll tell you straight what applies to your tree and what doesn't.
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