Dropped kerbs and street trees: what Wandsworth, Sandwell, Sutton and Kingston say, and the GOV.UK rule on protected trees
What four English councils say about street trees when a property owner applies for a dropped kerb, and what GOV.UK says about consent to cut or uproot trees under a Tree Preservation Order.
Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 9, 2026. Rules, fees and pay change: the source has the last word.
This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. It describes the dropped kerb pages and terms of Wandsworth, Sandwell, Sutton and Kingston councils, and the government's planning guidance on tree preservation orders, as read on October 9, 2026. A dropped kerb, also called a vehicle crossover or crossing, lowers the kerb and strengthens the footway so that a vehicle can cross it. The councils write for people applying for one. This page reports only what they say about trees. Each council sets its own policy, and four councils are not a count of England.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 for the GOV.UK planning guidance.
What each council says about trees
| Council | What its page says about trees |
|---|---|
| Wandsworth | The council says it does not remove trees in reasonable health unless there is an extremely good reason, and that a pavement vehicle access is not usually a good enough reason. Its additional charges include excavating trial holes to find out whether tree roots or public utility apparatus are near the proposed access. The parking area on the property must be at least 4.5 metres deep and 2.3 metres wide with no obstruction, and the page gives a bay window or a tree as examples |
| Sandwell | Its terms list a tree on the pavement outside the property among the reasons an application may not be possible. Every affected tree gets a site inspection and risk assessment by the council's arboriculture officer. A dead or diseased tree is removed at the council's cost. A tree of good sound structure, or one that is an integral asset to the street scene or of environmental benefit, leads to refusal. In exceptional cases the council consults for 28 days before removal, a new tree must be planted, and any objection means the tree is not removed |
| Sutton | Its cost page lists removing a tree and planting replacements among the additional work that can be needed to build a dropped kerb, with the applicant covering the additional costs |
| Kingston upon Thames | Its cost page carries the same list, including removing a tree and planting replacements, and says the applicant covers the cost of other work |
On Sandwell's page the cost of removal and replanting, when it is agreed after consultation with no objections, is added to the applicant's quotation. The site inspection fee on its terms is non-refundable once the inspection has taken place, and the officer notes the proximity of street trees among the site-specific requirements. Sutton and Kingston describe construction work as done by the council's approved suppliers, not the applicant's own contractors, and Sandwell says only the council or its appointed contractors can carry out the work.
Trees under a Tree Preservation Order
Wandsworth lists, among the circumstances in which an applicant may need planning permission, that a tree protected by a Tree Preservation Order is to be removed. Its other examples include a conservation area, a listed building, a classified A or B road and a flat or business. The GOV.UK guidance on tree preservation orders and trees in conservation areas says anyone who wants to cut down, top, lop or uproot a protected tree must first apply to the local planning authority for consent unless an exception applies. It adds that in the Secretary of State's view, cutting roots is also a prohibited activity and needs the authority's consent. It lists an exception for work to carry out a highway order or scheme made or confirmed by the Secretary of State for Transport, and says a tree in a conservation area that has no order is covered by section 211 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, which asks for notice to the authority 6 weeks before certain work unless an exception applies.
For how a council reads a tree preservation order see checking tree rules with UK councils. The standards for protecting roots on building sites are on the page about trees on building sites.
Sources
- London Borough of Wandsworth, Dropped kerbs, read October 9, 2026
- Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, Dropped kerb terms and conditions, read October 9, 2026
- London Borough of Sutton, Cost of applying for a dropped kerb, read October 9, 2026
- Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, Cost of applying for a dropped kerb, read October 9, 2026
- GOV.UK, Tree Preservation Orders and trees in conservation areas, planning practice guidance, read October 9, 2026