Tree Work in a Conservation Area: Bradford-on-Avon Guide

Bradford-on-Avon is one of the most historic towns in Wiltshire. Its conservation area was designated in 1969, covers the historic centre and contains close to 300 listed buildings. Trees are a big part of the character of a place like that, and the law gives them extra protection. If you live in the conservation area and want a tree cut back or taken down, there is a process to follow first.

The same rules apply in any conservation area, including those in Trowbridge, Melksham and Westbury. This is a general guide. Wiltshire Council is the planning authority and has the final say.

The six-week notice

In a conservation area, you must normally give the council six weeks' notice before cutting down, topping, lopping or uprooting a tree. This is often called a section 211 notice. It is not an application for permission. It gives the council time to decide whether the tree is important enough to protect with a Tree Preservation Order.

If the council does nothing within six weeks, the work can go ahead. If it decides the tree should be protected, it can make a Tree Preservation Order, and you would then need consent.

What is exempt

Small trees are exempt from the notice requirement. You do not need to give notice to cut or prune a tree with a trunk diameter of 75mm or less, measured over the bark at 1.5 metres above ground level. There is also an exemption for trees up to 100mm in diameter removed only to help other trees grow, which mostly applies to thinning woodland.

If a tree has several stems at 1.5 metres and any one of them is over the limit, the exemption does not apply.

Shrubs and hedges are not trees for this purpose in most cases, so ordinary hedge trimming does not need notice. Nesting birds are a separate matter, covered in our guide to hedge cutting and the rules.

Tree Preservation Orders

Some trees, inside or outside conservation areas, are already protected by a Tree Preservation Order. A TPO stops the tree being cut down, topped, lopped, uprooted or wilfully damaged without the council's consent. Unlike a conservation area notice, consent can be refused. Wiltshire Council publishes data on its TPOs, and it is worth checking before you plan any work on a mature tree.

Listed buildings and walls

The conservation area also affects other garden work. Taking down a fence, wall or gate in a conservation area can need permission, and anything within the curtilage of a listed building usually needs consent. Many older gardens in Bradford-on-Avon have stone boundary walls, so check before removing one. The guide to fence planning permission in Wiltshire goes into the boundary rules.

How to plan the work

• Find out whether you are in a conservation area and whether the tree has a TPO
• Measure the trunk at 1.5 metres if you think it may be exempt
• Describe the work clearly in the notice, for example a crown reduction by a stated amount
• Allow six weeks before the work date, more if a TPO may be involved
• Check for nesting birds before any work in spring and summer

Common mistakes to avoid

The most common problem is simply not knowing the property is in a conservation area. Boundaries do not always follow obvious lines, so check rather than assume. Another is starting work early because a contractor has a gap in the diary. The six weeks run from the date the council receives the notice, not the date you send it. Finally, do not assume that the tree surgeon has dealt with the paperwork. Make sure someone has, and keep a copy of the notice and any reply.

How Gordon's handles tree work

Hedge cutting and shrub work are done by Matt as part of garden maintenance. Larger tree work, such as crown reductions and felling, is carried out with a trusted, experienced tree surgeon partner, with Matt organising the job and the clear-up. The tree surgery and hedge work page explains more, and clearances cover the waste.

Gordon's works across Bradford-on-Avon, Melksham and the surrounding area, and will flag anything that needs checking with the council before work is booked. For a free quote, get in touch or call 07356 272150.