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Tree rules in Lambeth: preservation orders and conservation areas

What the London Borough of Lambeth's own pages say about its tree preservation orders, the schedule of protected trees, conservation area notices, dangerous trees and who looks after street and park trees.

Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 8, 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 seven Lambeth Council tree pages as read on October 8, 2026: trees on private property, tree preservation orders, trees in conservation areas, dangerous trees, applying for permission, questions on TPOs and trees on public property. 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 Lambeth's pages add.

Tree preservation orders

Lambeth's TPO page says TPOs protect good quality trees of high amenity value and that around 5,000 trees are protected by TPOs in the borough. It points to a Tree Preservation Order schedule, a PDF of 1.01 MB, as the way to check whether a tree is covered, and says copies of the original TPO documents are requested from the planning and conservation team by email. Once an order exists, the page says the council's consent is needed before pruning, felling, topping, uprooting or any other damage. It states there is no fee to submit an application.

The questions page adds how Lambeth describes the process. It says shrubs and formal hedgerows cannot be covered, and that an order can cover anything from a single tree to woodland. It gives two ways to make an order: a notice of intention, where owners and occupiers have 28 days from the date of the notice to comment and the order takes effect only once confirmed, and a provisional order that takes effect on the date specified and must be confirmed within six months or the protection ends. It says the owner remains responsible for the trees even when an order is in place, and that anyone can ask the council for a TPO by writing with the location and the reasons.

Conservation areas

The conservation area page says anyone proposing to cut down or work on a tree in a conservation area gives the council six weeks' prior notice, and that pruning, felling or damaging such a tree without notice is an offence. It says a property search shows whether an address is in a conservation area, and that a conservation area profile map gives the check. A TPO can still be placed on a tree inside a conservation area. The page repeats that there is no fee for these applications, and says the exemptions from the six weeks' notice are on the questions page.

Applications, hazard trees and public trees

The application page offers an online form or a downloadable form with guidance notes. It says applications for removal or work on TPO or conservation area trees are advertised only by a site notice outside the property, and that other consultation, such as writing to individual neighbours, happens only in exceptional circumstances. Where a neighbour applies, the council says it will use best endeavours to tell the owner or occupier of the land the tree stands on. The page also says a careful record of the advice sought and action taken should be kept even in an emergency.

The dangerous trees page restates the 2012 England regulations: for a tree in a conservation area or under a TPO that presents an imminent and serious safety risk, written notice goes to the planning authority after the work becomes necessary, and for a dead tree at least 5 days' written notice goes before the work. For trees on private land, it describes a duty of care on the landowner and lists steps for a neighbour who is worried about a tree. The private property page says residents needing guidance on private trees are directed to an accredited arboriculturalist.

The public property page says a team handles routine inspection and maintenance of the borough's street and park trees as directed by its tree officers, and that the team can prune and remove all types and sizes of tree. The report page asks for the problem with the tree, its exact location and the reporter's contact details.

Sources