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Blog: planning

How much does a tree survey cost in London?

By Property Architecture drawing team, chartered architectural technologists (MCIAT). Published . 3 minute read.

A tree survey to BS 5837 for a London plot costs £445 from us, with no VAT to add, prepared through accredited partners. It records the trees on and beside your site, rates them, and shows what must be protected. The legal side is plain: to cut down, uproot or wilfully destroy a tree in contravention of an order is an offence punishable by a fineTown and Country Planning Act 1990, section 210, and cutting roots can count.

From £445 total

  • MCIAT chartered
  • £2m PI insured
  • LABC Partnered
  • Fixed fees, no VAT to add

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    Key takeaways

    What the survey costs, and what it produces

    Our fee is £445. An accredited partner visits the site, identifies and measures each relevant tree, and rates it by condition and value. The result is a tree survey and a plan that shows where roots and crowns extend, which is what a designer needs before a foundation or an extension is placed. Our tree survey page lists what you receive.

    The survey follows the British Standard for trees in relation to construction, BS 5837. That is the standard councils expect for an arboricultural submission, and it is why the fee is higher than a drawing alone.

    What the fee includesA check for tree orders and conservation area status; A survey to BS 5837 by an accredited partner; A plan showing protection areas; Findings fitted to your drawings; Revision if the council asksWhat the fee includesA check for tree orders and conservationarea statusA survey to BS 5837 by an accreditedpartnerA plan showing protection areasFindings fitted to your drawingsRevision if the council asksFixed fee from £445, no VAT to add
    What our tree survey service includes.

    A tree can be protected by an order made by the council. The order prohibits the following: cutting down, topping, lopping, uprooting, wilful damage and wilful destruction without written consentGOV.UK planning practice guidance, Tree Preservation Orders and trees in conservation areas. And it goes below ground: in the Secretary of State's view, cutting roots is also prohibited and requires consentGOV.UK planning practice guidance, Tree Preservation Orders and trees in conservation areas. A trench for foundations beside a protected tree is, in practice, a request for consent.

    Trees in a conservation area that have no order are covered too. 6 weeks' notice to the council before certain work, unless an exception appliesGOV.UK planning practice guidance, Tree Preservation Orders and trees in conservation areas. The council can then decide to protect the tree. After the notice, the position is: work done after the six weeks, but within two years of the notice, is not an offence under section 211Town and Country Planning Act 1990, section 211. Our constraints check shows both situations.

    Red-brick Queen Anne style houses on Marlborough Crescent in Bedford Park with white sash windows
    Mature street and garden trees are part of the character of many London conservation areas. Photo: stevecadman, CC BY-SA 2.0

    What happens if a tree is cut without consent

    Cutting a protected tree is an offence under the Town and Country Planning Act. In law: to cut down, uproot or wilfully destroy a tree in contravention of an order is an offence punishable by a fineTown and Country Planning Act 1990, section 210. The penalty is a fine decided by the court, which must have regard to any financial benefit gained, so the potential cost is not capped by a small sum.

    The practical cost is larger. A scheme that depends on removing a tree it cannot lawfully remove cannot be built as drawn, and the redesign comes after the builder is booked. That is why the survey comes before the design.

    How the survey shapes the design

    The survey sets a protection area around each tree to keep. The extension or the new home is then designed around it, with foundations that sit outside the root zone or are designed to avoid damage. In a tight London garden, a tree on a neighbour's side can still limit a boundary extension.

    We carry the survey into our planning drawings, so the plan and the survey show the same trees. The council can then see the design respects them.

    How the job runs, step by stepFree constraints check, including tree orders and conservation areas Then: Site visit by an accredited partner Then: Trees identified, measured and rated Then: Protection areas drawn on a plan Then: Design adjusted around the trees to keep Then: Survey added to the planning applicationFree constraints check, including treeorders and conservation areasSite visit by an accredited partnerTrees identified, measured and ratedProtection areas drawn on a planDesign adjusted around the trees tokeepSurvey added to the planningapplication
    From constraints check to a survey that supports the application.

    When to order one

    Order it when a tree stands within or next to the area you want to build on, when your constraints check shows a tree order or a conservation area, or when the council asks. Order it before the design is finished, not after, because the design may need to change.

    If the council asks for more detail, we revise the submission with our partner.

    The figures, with sources

    What a Tree Preservation Order prohibits
    cutting down, topping, lopping, uprooting, wilful damage and wilful destruction without written consentGOV.UK planning practice guidance, Tree Preservation Orders and trees in conservation areasChecked 25 October 2026
    Cutting roots
    in the Secretary of State's view, cutting roots is also prohibited and requires consentGOV.UK planning practice guidance, Tree Preservation Orders and trees in conservation areasChecked 25 October 2026
    Notice for work to trees in a conservation area
    6 weeks' notice to the council before certain work, unless an exception appliesGOV.UK planning practice guidance, Tree Preservation Orders and trees in conservation areasChecked 25 October 2026
    Cutting down a protected tree
    to cut down, uproot or wilfully destroy a tree in contravention of an order is an offence punishable by a fineTown and Country Planning Act 1990, section 210Checked 25 October 2026
    Section 211 offence period
    work done after the six weeks, but within two years of the notice, is not an offence under section 211Town and Country Planning Act 1990, section 211Checked 25 October 2026

    Questions

    Do I need a tree survey for every project?

    No. It is needed when trees on or beside the site are affected by the work. We tell you after the constraints check whether yours is one of those.

    Can I remove a tree in a conservation area?

    Not without giving the council notice first, unless an exception applies. The council can respond by making a Tree Preservation Order. Ask us before you cut.

    What does BS 5837 mean?

    It is the British Standard for trees in relation to design, demolition and construction. A survey to that standard is what councils expect with a planning application where trees matter.

    Who does the survey?

    An accredited partner, coordinated by us, so the results fit your drawings.

    Header photo: A row of colour-washed Victorian terrace houses on Falkland Road in Kentish Town under a blue sky by Images George Rex, CC BY-SA 2.0.

    The fixed fee for tree surveys

    Fixed fee
    from £445
    Total you pay
    from £445
    Council fee
    paid to the council separately

    No VAT to add. The fee is fixed in writing after a free constraints check of your address.

    What you get

    • A check for tree orders and conservation area status
    • A survey to BS 5837 by an accredited partner
    • A plan showing protection areas
    • Findings fitted to your drawings
    • Revision if the council asks
    • More about our tree surveys
    Request your fixed quoteCall 020 7131 9703
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    Tell us about your property.

    We check the constraints, then send a fixed fee. Messages before 3pm get a reply the same working day.

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