Tree Preservation Orders (TPO's) and development work
Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs) enable the council to protect important trees.
Trees with preservation orders or within conservation areas are protected under a range of legislation that makes it an offence to cut down, top, lop, uproot, damage or destroy those trees without first gaining permission from the council.
A limited number of trees are exempt from TPOs. These include trees that are considered dead, dying, diseased, or dangerous, as well as fruit trees grown commercially for fruit production.
Trees that grow on council-owned property or on public open spaces are also protected as they are deemed as council property. Anyone damaging these can be prosecuted.
If you are doing work close to trees you should make sure that trees surrounding any development sites are protected by fencing. You can be subject to a fine should any trees be damaged during the development process.
More information
How to find conservation areas and TPOs
You can check to see if a tree is located within a Conservation Area or if it is covered by a Tree Preservation Order by searching for your property on My Neighbourhood.