Tree rules in Hillingdon: preservation orders and conservation areas

This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. It describes four Hillingdon Council tree pages as read on October 8, 2026: carrying out work on protected trees, work on trees in conservation areas, the Tree Preservation Order data page and the page on fallen or overhanging trees. The council's main trees page links to these pages on a preview address of its website, and the links below use that address. The national rules, including the time limits in the England regulations, are on the guide to checking tree rules with UK councils. This page covers only what Hillingdon's pages add.

Protected trees

The protected trees page says a TPO safeguards trees against cutting down, destruction or inappropriate works, and that many trees in the borough are also protected by standing in a conservation area. It gives an email address for requesting a copy of an order and offers a search for a protected tree. It says consent is needed before cutting down or working on a TPO tree, that some work is exempt as explained on pages 3 and 4 of the council's TPO guidance, and that anyone can apply, including for a tree on a neighbour's land. Pruning past the boundary line is stated to need the owner's permission.

On the decision, the page says the council weighs the value of the tree and the effect on the amenity of the area, and the long-term health of the tree against the reasons given. It can grant consent with conditions, refuse, or give a split decision, and it gives the example of consent to fell on condition that a replacement is planted. All consents are valid for 2 years from the date of consent unless the conditions say otherwise, and the page says a decision is usually aimed for within 8 weeks. A refusal can be appealed in writing to the planning inspectorate within 28 days of the decision letter.

Conservation areas and penalties

The conservation area page says a tree with a diameter at breast height greater than 75 mm in a conservation area is protected by its location, and that 6 weeks' notice is given so the council can consider a TPO. It describes the possible outcomes: make a TPO, let the 6 weeks pass so that the work may go ahead within 2 years from the date of notice, or decide against a TPO. It states the council cannot refuse consent or attach conditions to the section 211 notice, because the notice is not an application for TPO consent. For offences, it gives a fine of up to £20,000 on conviction, a duty to plant another tree after removal enforceable by a Tree Replacement Notice, and a Magistrates' Court fine of up to £2,500 for work not likely to destroy the tree.

Open TPO data and council trees

This is the part particular to this borough. The data page offers three downloads, a tree dataset, a tree preservation zone dataset and a tree preservation order dataset, covering the TPOs in the borough, and says the data is provided under the Open Government Licence.

The fallen or overhanging trees page lists emergency phone numbers for office hours and out of hours. It says the council prunes branches that might obstruct roads or paths in autumn and cuts back basal growth for sight lines, and that general requests to prune overhanging branches go into a works programme and are prioritised, so pruning is unlikely in every case where a public tree overhangs private land. It says requests to fell for falling fruit, leaves, blossom or sticky residue are generally declined, and that lime trees as street trees are being gradually phased out across the borough.

Tree rules in Hillingdon: preservation orders and conservation areas

Protected trees

Conservation areas and penalties

Open TPO data and council trees

Sources