A tree preservation order map is the authority's published record of the trees, groups and woodlands it has protected by order, and there is no national map: each authority publishes its own on its constraints map or its planning register, and a developer reads it plot by plot before the offer because a protected tree fixes part of the site. An order makes it an offence to cut down, top, lop, uproot or wilfully damage a protected tree without the authority's consent, and it protects the root zone as much as the crown, so a tree on the boundary can take the side extension, the outbuilding position or a building plot with it. Trees in a conservation area that are not under an order still need a notice to the authority before work, which gives it the chance to make one. This page sets out how the tree preservation order map is read on a plot, what the order does to a layout, and what the file keeps.
Where the map is, and what it shows
Each authority keeps its orders and publishes them on its constraints map, its register or on request, showing individual trees, groups, areas and woodlands with the order's reference and date; an order made after the map was last read may not be on it, and a provisional order takes effect at once. The developer reads the map for the plot and its boundaries, because a protected tree on a neighbour's land whose roots and crown cross the boundary constrains the plot as much as one inside it.
What the order does to a layout
Work within the root protection area of a protected tree, foundations, drives, drainage, changes of level, needs consent as much as felling does, and an application that ignores it is refused on the tree alone; a scheme designed around the tree loses the ground beneath its canopy and a margin beyond it. The developer reads the order before the envelope, because a side extension that runs into a protected tree's root zone is a side extension the order will not give whatever the householder class says.
Trees in a conservation area, and what the file keeps
In a conservation area any tree above a small size needs a notice to the authority before it is cut or pruned, and the authority has a period to make an order; a developer who fells first to clear a plot has committed an offence and usually lost the goodwill the application needs. Curtilo Pro keeps the order, its reference and the day the map was read against the plot with the tree's position, so the layout and the offer are built on the constraint rather than discovered after exchange; the guidance cited below sets out the regime.
Questions people ask about tree preservation order map
Is there a national tree preservation order map?
No. Each authority publishes its own orders on its constraints map or register; a developer reads the plot's authority. An order can also be made after the map was read.
Can I build near a tree with a preservation order?
Only with consent for any work within its root protection area, and a layout that keeps foundations and services out of it. A tree on a neighbour's land constrains the plot where its roots and crown cross.
Do trees in a conservation area need consent to cut?
Trees above the size the regime sets need a notice to the authority before work, and the authority may make an order in response. Felling first is an offence.
Sources
- GOV.UK planning practice guidance, Tree Preservation Orders and trees in conservation areas: what an order protects, how it is found and what consent is needed
- GOV.UK planning practice guidance, Conserving and enhancing the historic environment: conservation areas, listed buildings and what designation changes
- GOV.UK planning practice guidance, When is permission required: development, permitted development rights, prior approval and article 4 directions