Tree Surveys for Planning
BS5837 tree surveys for planning in County Durham and North Yorkshire. Send your site plan and planning brief for a survey and reporting quote.
Send the site details and what you’re planning to build. We’ll tell you what survey you need and quote it in writing. No hidden costs.
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BS5837 tree survey
Planning an extension, new building or access route near trees? A BS5837 tree survey records the trees on and around the site so your design team can consider retention, root protection and the proposed layout. Send your site plan and planning requirements for a quote across North Yorkshire and County Durham.
The survey follows the BS5837 standard, the British Standard for trees in relation to design, demolition and construction. It gives the planning authority the information it may require for the application, but the authority decides what documents and level of detail are needed for each proposal.
For a condition report on existing trees without a development proposal, use our tree safety inspections service instead.
When you need a survey
Developers, landowners and homeowners may need a survey where proposed work could affect trees or the planning authority asks for tree information. The common triggers are:
- A planning condition
- The authority has said a tree survey is required before the application is approved or before work starts on site.
- New development
- Housing, commercial buildings, driveways and access roads on land with trees.
- Extensions and conversions
- House extensions, barn conversions and outbuildings where trees stand close to the building work.
- Protected trees
- A Tree Preservation Order or Conservation Area doesn’t stop development, but the trees are part of the planning decision.
- Development constraints
- How the trees affect the proposed layout, including retention, root protection and construction constraints.
If you aren’t sure whether your project needs a survey, ask. Send us the site details and what you’re planning to build. We’ll tell you what survey you need and quote it in writing.
What the survey covers
Before appointment, we confirm the named survey provider, their relevant qualifications, the trees in scope and the documents required for your planning brief.
- Every tree on the site
- Species, height, spread, condition and life stage for each tree that could be affected by the development, including trees on neighbouring land where their roots or canopy reach the site.
- BS5837 categories
- Each tree is placed in a category. Category U indicates a tree with defects that normally make it unsuitable for retention. Categories A, B and C describe relative quality and value. These categories inform planning decisions; they do not authorise removal.
- Tree schedule and plan
- A numbered schedule and site plan relate each surveyed tree to the site, show its category and identify root protection areas for retained trees.
- Protection documents
- An arboricultural impact assessment, tree protection plan or arboricultural method statement may also be required. The quote states which documents are included; additional documents are quoted separately.
How the survey is done
- Site visit. We visit the site and record every tree in scope. Surveying happens on site, not from drawings.
- Data collection. Each tree is measured and assessed: species, height, spread, condition, age class and any structural issues.
- Report and plan. The agreed schedule, plan and category information are written up to BS5837.
- Handover. You receive the agreed report and plans to submit with the application, subject to the authority’s own requirements.
After the survey
Use the report to review the layout with your design team. Check that any impact assessment, protection plan or method statement required by the planning authority is also in place.
Once the specification is approved, the required permissions are in place and the work is agreed in writing, we can quote and carry out tree removal, pruning, stump grinding or site clearance. The survey alone is not an instruction to cut.
The survey doesn’t decide the planning application. No survey does. What it does is give the authority the information it needs, in the form it expects, so the application can be decided on its merits.
Tree surveys in County Durham
Durham County Council validates the planning applications we survey for, and tree information is normally required where a proposal affects trees on or next to the site. In practice that covers conversions and extensions inside the Durham City conservation area, house extensions and outbuildings in the established suburbs, and larger housing, commercial or access schemes on land that already carries tree cover.
The tree stock across the county is mixed. Mature parkland and boundary trees give way to self-seeded sycamore and ash on former industrial and mineral land, and that changes what the survey has to say. Ash dieback is the clearest example: an ash in decline can move between categories as its condition changes, so a retained tree with dieback needs protection and monitoring that reflects its condition at the time of the survey rather than an assumption that it will hold.
For a County Durham scheme we survey every tree that could be affected by the proposals, including trees on neighbouring land where roots or canopy reach the site, then produce the tree schedule and plan the application needs. Where the site is in or beside a conservation area, or trees are covered by a Tree Preservation Order, we check the position before the survey so the report and any consent route are not working against each other.
Send the site address and what you are planning to build or change. We will confirm what survey and reporting the application needs and quote it in writing.
Survey quotes and coverage
Survey enquiries cover North Yorkshire and County Durham. The price depends on site size, tree numbers, access and the reporting required. A single garden tree for a house extension is a different job from a site of a hundred trees for a housing development.
We confirm the price in writing before the survey is booked. The written quote sets out what the survey covers and what the report includes. No hidden costs.
Before you appoint a surveyor. Confirm the named provider, relevant surveying qualifications, report scope and appropriate insurance for the reporting work. NPTC and LANTRA tree-work qualifications are not, by themselves, evidence of BS5837 survey competence.
What customers ask
Common questions
What is a tree survey for planning?
A survey of the trees on or near a development site, carried out to BS5837. It records each tree, places it in a category and produces a tree schedule and site plan that the planning authority uses to decide the application.
Do I need a tree survey for my planning application?
If trees are on or near the site, the planning authority will normally ask for one, often as a planning condition. If you aren’t sure, send us the site details and what you’re planning to build and we’ll tell you what you need.
How long does the survey report take?
It depends on the size of the site and the number of trees. We confirm the timescale when we quote. The report is written after the site visit and you get it ready to submit.
What does a tree survey for planning cost?
Quoted per survey. The price depends on the site size, the number of trees and the access. We confirm the price in writing before the survey is booked. No hidden costs.
Do you carry out the tree work after the survey?
We can quote for approved and agreed tree work once the relevant specification and permissions are in place. Removal, pruning, stump grinding and site clearance are separate work scopes; the survey alone does not authorise cutting.
What are the BS5837 categories?
Category U indicates a tree normally unsuitable for retention, while Categories A, B and C describe relative value and retention constraints. The categories inform planning decisions and do not themselves authorise removal.
Who needs an arboricultural survey?
Developers, landowners and homeowners may need a BS5837 survey where proposed development could affect trees or a planning authority requires one. For an existing-tree condition, safety or management report, use our tree safety inspections service instead.
Need a tree survey for your site?
Send the site details and what you’re planning to build. We’ll tell you what survey you need and quote it in writing. No hidden costs.