Protected trees
Tree Preservation Order Help in Leeds for Your TPO Application
Get a quoteWe can help with the paperwork if your tree has a Tree Preservation Order in Leeds or stands in a conservation area. TPO work generally needs formal consent, and most qualifying conservation area work needs six weeks' notice.
We help you work out which route applies and describe the work clearly. The decision always rests with the council, so we can't guarantee consent.
- Written scope of work
- Tree protection checked before cutting
- Waste and stump work made clear
Ask about this tree work. Fill in the form with your postcode and a short description, then email us any photos taken safely from the ground.
Start your enquiryProfessional help with TPO applications in Leeds
We help with the practical side of an application, but we aren't planning consultants and we don't give legal advice on your particular case.
Nor can we speed up an application or promise an outcome. If your case involves a boundary dispute or a legal question, you may need a specialist as well as us. You can also apply directly through Leeds City Council if you prefer.
How we help with protected tree paperwork
We can help in four ways.
Checking what protects your tree
We begin with the online map on Leeds City Council's tree works and preservation page, which shows both TPOs and conservation areas. If the map isn't clear, we ask the council to confirm the position.
Describing the work for the council
We say which part of the crown is affected, what pruning is proposed and why. A request to "tidy the tree" or "cut it back quite a lot" gives the officer nothing to assess. We use terms such as crown reduction correctly, with measurable detail where it makes sense.
Gathering the plan, photos and reasons
Most applications need an accurate plan showing the tree's position, the species if known, a clear description of the work and your reasons. We'll help you put these together from what you have. If safety, damage or condition is the main concern, photos or professional evidence can support your case.
Carrying out the agreed work
Once the council's process allows it, we follow exactly what has been agreed, because consent to reduce a canopy doesn't give permission to fell the tree.
TPO help for homeowners, landlords and businesses
A TPO can cover one tree, a group or a woodland, including on private land. You can't tell from a tree's age, height or species whether it's protected.
A tree may also be covered by a planning condition, so please tell us if your property has been built or extended. Consent gives nobody the right to go onto a neighbour's land, as our overhanging trees guide explains.
When should you start a TPO application?
Start well before you want the work done, and allow about eight weeks. That's roughly how long Leeds City Council aims to take over a valid application, although some cases take longer and the council may ask for more information. We don't fix a date until the decision is in your hands.
For a section 211 notice, we book the work for a date after the six weeks are up. Valid applications and notices enter the public planning process, so some details may be open to comment.
Consent or notice: which route applies to your tree?
That depends on the protection already in place, so we confirm it before drafting anything. Our tree permission guide explains the rules in more depth.
TPO consent
You generally need council consent to cut down, top, lop or uproot a TPO tree, unless a legal exception applies, and that includes pruning that might feel routine. If a tree has both forms of protection, the TPO process takes priority.
Section 211 notice
A section 211 notice tells the council about planned work on a conservation area tree with no TPO. It must be given at least six weeks before work begins. Under the usual national rules, it applies where the stem is over 75 mm in diameter at 1.5 metres above the ground, with some exceptions. The six weeks let the council decide whether to make a TPO, and if it does, the consent route applies instead.
Dead, dangerous or damaged protected trees
We won't assume the work can go ahead without contacting the council. Certain work on dead or dangerous protected trees normally needs at least five working days' written notice, along with evidence of the defect. Different rules apply to work urgently needed to deal with an immediate risk of serious harm.
If a tree poses an immediate threat, keep everyone clear and call 999 where there is danger to life. Take evidence photos only from a safe position, and see our dangerous and dead trees page for how we assess these problems.
How we prepare your application and carry out the work
Assessing the tree and the proposal
The work has to be realistic for the species and condition of the tree. If you want it felled, the application should explain why lighter work wouldn't solve the problem, and you may also need to say what you plan to replant, or why not.
A routine proposal often won't need an arboricultural report, although one may be valuable or requested where the reason is structural risk, disease, damage or a dispute. We'll first consider whether an annotated plan or short statement would be enough. If a formal report is needed, check that its author has the right qualifications.
Safe working, wildlife and waste after consent
A decision can grant consent, add conditions or refuse the work, and a refused proposal can't go ahead. Please keep the decision notice somewhere safe.
Active birds' nests stay protected whatever the council decides, as do bats and their roosts, so we check for both and adjust the timing or method if needed. Clearing up is then agreed in your written scope.
Why ask tree surgeons to help with a TPO application?
Your proposal will describe work that can actually be carried out. We'll also tell you if lighter pruning would do the job better than removal, and every step is agreed in writing.
What does a TPO application cost in Leeds?
There is generally no statutory fee for a standard application to work on a TPO tree or for a conservation area notice, according to the Planning Portal. Surveys, drawings, reports and help with the paperwork can still carry a charge. We'll tell you what our help costs and agree it before we start, and our tree surgeon prices page explains what shapes the cost of the tree work.
Protected tree help across Leeds and surrounding areas
We help with protected trees in Roundhay, Headingley, Chapel Allerton, Horsforth and our other areas around Leeds. Please check that Leeds City Council is the authority for your site. For a postcode we don't list, ask and we'll confirm whether we can help.
Free quote for help with your TPO application
Use the form on this page, then email photos of the whole tree and the problem to [email protected]. It also helps to give us:
- The full address and a rough position for the tree on a plan.
- The species, if known, and the pruning or removal you have in mind.
- Any TPO reference, conservation area status or planning condition.
- Council letters and any professional reports you already hold.
Keep reading
Related services and guides
Tree Pruning & Crown Reduction
Crown reduction, thinning, lifting or deadwood removal, chosen to get the result you're after.
Read moreTree Felling & Removal
We fell a tree whole or take it down in sections, depending on nearby buildings, access and what you want done with the timber.
Read moreDangerous & Dead Trees
How to spot the warning signs, how the risk is assessed and the options, from monitoring to removal.
Read moreDo I need permission to cut down a tree in Leeds?
How TPOs, conservation area notices and exemptions work, and what to check before any cutting starts.
Read moreMy neighbour's tree is overhanging: what can I do?
Your rights at the boundary, who owns the cuttings and how to settle a dispute with a neighbour.
Read moreNeed help with a tree in Leeds?
Send us your postcode and a few details using the form, and we'll tell you the best next step.
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