Tree Surveys in London
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Tree surveys and arboricultural reports for planning applications, tree safety and property purchases across London.
If your London planning application involves trees, whether on your land, next door or on the street outside, your borough will usually expect tree information to go in with it. That normally starts with a BS5837:2012 tree survey. We carry out the survey and write the reports that follow it: the Tree Constraints Plan, Arboricultural Impact Assessment, Arboricultural Method Statement and Tree Protection Plan. Where trees are to be removed, we can also value them using CAVAT, the method many London boroughs use to set replacement planting.
Send us the site address and we’ll tell you what your application is likely to need, with a free fixed-fee quote, usually within 12 hours.
Why London values its trees
London has around 8.4 million trees, and they do real work for the city. The London i-Tree Eco survey found that they:
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remove around 2,241 tonnes of air pollution every year, equivalent to 13 per cent of the PM10 and 14 per cent of the NO2 emitted by road transport
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store around 2.4 million tonnes of carbon
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keep roughly ten times the volume of the Serpentine out of London's drains
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provide at least £133 million of benefits every year
They also shade streets and gardens and cool the city in summer heat. Most of these benefits come from large, mature trees, the kind often standing on or next to a development site. Yet tree canopy covers just under 20 per cent of London, and the Mayor's target is 22 per cent by 2050.
That is why London's planning policy asks development to keep valuable trees wherever possible and, where one has to go, to replace what it provided rather than plant a single sapling. A tree survey shows the council which trees matter most, and shows your design team where those trees shape the layout.
Typical London sites and what they involve
Extensions and basements on residential streets
Rear and side extensions, loft conversions with new foundations, and basements on terraced and semi-detached streets. The trees that matter are often not yours. A street tree outside, or a neighbour's tree over the fence, can have a Root Protection Area (RPA) reaching well into your garden. excavation and other works near roots need consideration at the design stage.
Street trees are often the most valuable trees near a site. They are seen by everyone who passes, they shade and cool the street, and many are large, mature trees such as London plane. They belong to the council, which will expect them to be protected throughout your works.
Houses in gardens and backland plots
New homes in large rear gardens or on land behind existing houses. These plots often hold mature trees that have grown for decades, sometimes visible from several streets away. Access for construction is usually tight, so the route in, the site compound and the tree protection all have to fit together.
Larger redevelopment
Flats, mixed-use schemes and estate regeneration. Here the tree information sits alongside the Urban Greening Factor and Biodiversity Net Gain. Mature trees kept within a new scheme give it shade, screening and a settled character from the day people move in, something new planting takes decades to match. Keeping them works best when the layout is designed around them from the start.
Professional arboricultural advice
Flow Tree Consultancy is an independent arboricultural consultancy. The same qualified consultant quotes the job, carries out the site visit and writes the report, so you deal directly with the person doing the work from first enquiry to final issue.
The consultancy is led by a qualified arboricultural consultant with:
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a First Class BSc (Hons) in Arboriculture and Urban Forestry
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a Level 3 Extended Diploma in Arboriculture and Forestry
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Professional Membership of the Arboricultural Association
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LANTRA Professional Tree Inspector certification
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VALID Tree Risk-Benefit Validator status
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a decade of industry experience across planning and development, mortgage and insurance work, tree safety assessments and practical arboriculture
We carry £1 million professional indemnity insurance and £5 million public liability insurance.
You can read more about our qualifications, experience and approach on the About page
Not sure which report you need?
Most people arrive having been told they need "a tree survey" without being told which one.
Send us the site address and any plans, and we'll come back quickly with what your application is likely to need.
Tree surveys across London
Most of London is covered by its 32 boroughs and the City of London, but a few areas, such as Oxford Street and Old Oak and Park Royal, have a development corporation as their planning authority instead. Each authority sets its own requirements for what goes in with an application, and it decides what tree information your project needs. If your planning officer has already asked for tree information, tell us what they said and we'll quote for what you need.
We cover the whole of Greater London, including boroughs such as Richmond upon Thames, Kingston upon Thames, Merton, Sutton, Wandsworth, Lambeth, Croydon, Southwark, Lewisham, Greenwich, Bromley and Bexley.
Buying a house or managing trees in London
Buying a property. Much of London is built on London Clay, a soil that shrinks and swells as its moisture content changes, and mature trees are frequently close to Victorian and Edwardian houses. Lenders and surveyors often ask for a tree report before a purchase goes ahead. Our mortgage tree reports identify the trees within likely influencing distance of the property, so you and your lender have what you need to proceed.
Managing trees. Freeholders, managing agents with communal gardens, schools and estates all have a duty of care for their trees. Our Tree Condition Assessments and VALID Tree Risk-Benefit Assessments give you a clear, proportionate record of the trees that need attention and any work required. We don’t carry out tree work, so our recommendations are independent.
Our tree surveys and reports in London
If there are trees on or near a site you plan to build on, your council will usually expect tree information with the planning application. We carry out the BS5837 tree survey and write the reports that follow it: the Tree Constraints Plan, Arboricultural Impact Assessment, Arboricultural Method Statement and Tree Protection Plan. During construction, we can also provide arboricultural supervision.
Read more about our planning and development services.
For homeowners, schools, estates and anyone responsible for trees on their land, from a single tree to a whole site. A tree condition and risk assessment identifies the trees that need attention, the risk they pose and any work required, so you can meet your duty of care without removing trees unnecessarily.
Read more about our tree condition and risk assessments.
If you're buying a property with trees nearby, your lender or surveyor may ask for a tree report before the purchase goes ahead. Our mortgage and pre-purchase tree reports identify the trees within influencing distance of the building and what they mean for it. We also carry out subsidence and heave risk assessments for existing homeowners.
Read more about our mortgage tree reports and property risk.
FAQs
If there are trees on your site, or on neighbouring land or the street close enough to be affected, your borough will usually expect tree information with the application. A BS5837 tree survey is the normal starting point. The borough decides what is required, so it is worth checking its validation list or any comments from your planning officer.
Yes. BS5837 covers trees that could be affected by the development wherever they stand. A street tree or a tree over the fence can have a Root Protection Area that extends into your site, and it needs to be assessed in the same way as your own.
CAVAT (Capital Asset Value for Amenity Trees) puts a monetary value on a tree based on its size, condition, location and contribution to public amenity. The London Plan expects replacement for trees lost to development to reflect their value, and boroughs such as Lambeth use CAVAT to set it. Whether yours asks for one depends on the borough and the trees involved.
Trees in a Conservation Area are protected, and works to them normally need six weeks' notice to the council. Where works to trees form part of a planning application, the survey and reports are assessed with the application instead. A Conservation Area can also mean the council places more weight on the contribution trees make to the character of the area.
Only if your lender or surveyor asks for one, which is common where mature trees are close to a property on clay soil. A mortgage tree report identifies the relevant trees and what they mean for the house, so the purchase can go ahead with the right information.
The site address is enough to start. Plans help: a red line plan, existing and proposed layouts, and a topographical survey if you have one. Let us know any comments from the planning officer and your deadline.