If you have a tree on your property in Chester that you are thinking about working on, the first question to settle is whether the tree is protected. Tree Preservation Orders and conservation area rules are widespread across the city, and getting them wrong can result in significant fines. Getting them right is usually a matter of one quick check followed by a short application.
When TPOs apply
A Tree Preservation Order, usually called a TPO, is an order made by Cheshire West and Chester Council to protect a specific tree, group of trees, or wooded area considered to have public amenity value. Once a TPO is in place, any major work on the tree needs prior written consent. That includes felling, topping, lopping, uprooting, and any pruning that goes beyond minor maintenance. Crown reduction and crown thinning normally require consent, and even deadwooding can need it in some circumstances.
TPOs apply regardless of who owns the tree. A new owner inherits the protection, often without being told about it, because the duty to comply attaches to the tree rather than to the person who originally received the order. The council’s interactive map shows current TPO locations and conservation area boundaries, and it is the best starting point for any check.
Conservation areas
Quite separately from TPOs, trees within a designated conservation area carry their own protection. In Chester this includes large parts of the city centre, Curzon Park, Hoole, Boughton, Upton-by-Chester, and a number of the surrounding villages. Within a conservation area, you have to give the council six weeks’ notice before doing significant work on any tree with a stem diameter of more than 75mm at 1.5m above ground level. The council uses that period to decide whether to make a TPO if they want the tree formally protected, or to allow the work to proceed.
How to check
The Cheshire West and Chester Council interactive map shows current TPO and conservation area boundaries clearly. Type in the property address, switch on the relevant layers, and the protected trees show up. It takes a couple of minutes. If you are not sure whether a particular tree is included, the council’s tree officer will confirm by email, and we are happy to make the check on the owner’s behalf as part of any quote we put together.
What to expect from an application
A TPO application is a written submission to the council setting out the work proposed, the reason for it, and how it will be carried out. The council has a statutory eight-week period to consider it. In conservation areas the notification period is six weeks. In our experience the council is reasonable when the case is well made, particularly for sensible maintenance work like crown reduction, crown thinning and deadwooding on mature specimens.
It is a criminal offence to cut down, top, lop, uproot or wilfully damage a protected tree without consent. Fines can be substantial and councils do prosecute. A replacement tree may also be required where a protected tree has been removed without consent.
How we help
For any major tree work we check the TPO and conservation area position before we quote. Where consent is needed we prepare the application, justify the work properly, and submit it to the council on the owner’s behalf. The submission fee is included in the price for the tree work, and we time the work to follow the council’s decision rather than risk a problem.
Free no-obligation quote
If you have a tree in Chester you are thinking about working on and want a professional view on what is involved, call Daniel Gilfoyle on 07872 394 540 or 01244 314 065 for a free no-obligation visit, or email info@absolutetreecareandgardens.co.uk. We will check the TPO position, talk through the options, and confirm a written quote and timeline before anything starts.
