Tree rules in Sutton: 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 the London Borough of Sutton tree pages as read on October 8, 2026: tree protection, applying for tree works, pruning and inspections, and reporting dangerous trees. 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 Sutton's pages add.

Three kinds of protection

Sutton's page on types of tree protection names three: a tree preservation order (TPO), a conservation area, and planning conditions. For a TPO it lists the acts that are an offence without the council's consent: cutting down, uprooting, topping, lopping, and wilful damage or destruction. It says all species with public amenity value can be covered, but not hedges, bushes or shrubs. It says applications should be decided within 8 weeks, after which the applicant may appeal to the Secretary of State for failure to decide, and that a conviction in a magistrates' court carries a fine of up to £20,000.

For a conservation area the page lists the same acts for any tree measuring more than 75 millimetres in diameter at 1.5 metres above the ground. Notice must be given to the council in writing at least 6 weeks before the work, and the page says the work is an offence unless notice has been given and either a decision has arrived or the 6 weeks have passed with no decision.

Looking up a tree and asking for a TPO

The applying page says the status check is free through Sutton's tree status map for TPO and conservation area status, and through its Public Access portal for planning conditions. For a paid check, a payment of £20 per site is made first, and the council's Tree Works team then receives the site details or plan and the receipt number; the page says it aims to respond within 48 working hours.

A request for a new TPO, covering a tree, a group, an area or a woodland, goes on the council's TPO request form. The page says the council assesses requests on public visibility, individual impact (condition, retention span, local importance), wider impact and expediency, and that a request could take up to 12 weeks. It says trees in streets or green areas the council controls are normally considered well managed under its adopted Tree Strategy, although a request can still be made about them.

How applications are described

Applications for works go through the Planning Portal website, or by a downloaded form sent by email or post. The page asks for a detailed description with measurements, and gives examples of the wording it accepts, such as crown thinning expressed as a percentage, crown reduction in metres, and crown lifting leaving a stated clear stem. It adds a drawing showing every tree on the site and marking those proposed for work, and an evidence report for a diseased or dangerous tree. The page states that crown thinning is "never usually approved" above 25 to 30 percent and that crown lifting should be limited to less than 15 percent of the live crown height, leaving the crown at least two thirds of the total height.

Council street trees

The report page says the council inspects council-owned trees in streets and parks every 2 years, assesses them for routine pruning every 4 years, and publishes inspection dates by ward through 2031 to 2032. The pruning page says it prunes or fells hazardous trees, cuts back overhanging branches that endanger the public, runs an annual basal growth programme from May to September, and works on trees where roots have been shown to be involved in property damage. It lists what it does not act on, including trees blocking light or solar panels, leaves and fruit, honeydew, bird droppings and pollen. Trees in private gardens, council housing included, are outside its tree service, and the emergency number on the page is 0208 770 5000.