Guide

Tree Preservation Orders (TPO) — Ashby-de-la-Zouch & UK Rules

Before pruning, felling or reshaping a tree in Ashby-de-la-Zouch or elsewhere in the UK, it's worth checking whether the tree is legally protected. Getting this wrong can lead to fines of up to £20,000. This short guide covers the essentials.

What is a Tree Preservation Order?

A TPO is an order made by a local planning authority (in our area, North West Leicestershire District Council) that protects specific trees, groups of trees or woodlands. It's an offence to cut down, top, lop, uproot, damage or wilfully destroy a protected tree without written consent.

Conservation areas

If your property sits in a conservation area, you must give the council at least six weeks' written notice before any work on a tree over 75mm in diameter, even if no TPO exists. This gives them the chance to protect the tree with a new TPO.

Felling licences

Larger fellings (generally more than 5 cubic metres of timber in a calendar quarter) also require a felling licence from the Forestry Commission. Garden trees are usually exempt, but woodland or boundary work often isn't.

How to check

• Search the North West Leicestershire District Council TPO register.
• Check whether your address falls in a designated conservation area.
• For woodland work, review the Forestry Commission's felling licence guidance.

We handle the paperwork

As local tree surgeons in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, we regularly submit TPO and conservation area applications on behalf of homeowners. If you're unsure whether your tree is protected, get in touch and we'll check for you before any work starts.