Tree Surgery in Antrim

The decision to purchase a property may not come with trees as an influencing factor. However, when the trees start to get overgrown or appears sick you will have to consider the regulatory status which may affect your ability to prune, fell or remove them.

First and foremost, the owner of the tree must be determined and this is the individual who owns the land on which the tree was originally planted. However, if you’re not the owner but the tree overhangs your land you’re allowed to cut the branches back up to the boundary, if the tree is unprotected. In such cases, you normally do not need to seek the consent of the original tree owner or neighbouring land owner to perform the works to the tree. But the branches and fruits on them ( if any) still remains that of the land owner and they’re to be returned to them if necessary.

In situations whereby you’re the owner of the tree, you’re required to determine whether or not your tree is protected by a Tree Protection Order ( TPO) before any action can be taken. The main goal of a Tree Protection Order is to provide protection to trees which are considered to deliver amenity values to the general public. In other words, if your tree can be viewed by the public and enjoyed from outside your garden’s confines then there’s a high possibility that it’s subjected to a TPO.

To confirm whether or not your tree is subjected to a TPO, you can check with your local planning authority (LPA). However, there are some local council websites that displays all TPOs registered within their jurisdiction.

Do you have a tree you want to remove in your yard or property? Then you’d most likely be curious to know how much it would cost to have it removed. However, when it comes to tree removal services, there’s no precise answer to how much a professional tree surgeon will charge as each tree is unique and so the price would be charged based on the unique features of the tree in question.

There are a lot of factors that determines the price a professional tree surgeon will charge to remove a tree but it generally starts at £80 to £100 including VAT and this price increases with the size as well as the job’s complexity. Here are some influencing factors:

• The Tree’s Height. A taller tree will generally be more difficult to remove than a shorter one. A good equipment and extra care will also be needed to complete the task. As a result, you’d expect a taller tree to be more expensive.

• Tree Overhang. Due to trees overhanging some buildings, extra care most be taken to ensure the protection of nearby buildings and properties.

• Tree Accessibility. When the tree is easily accessible, no much work is required. If not, there’ll be a need to carry out some extra work to ensure easy access without any damages.

• Public Consideration. In the event whereby the tree is near a path or road, there’ll be a need to obtain a permission to close off some sections of the path or road.

• Tree Disposal. If you need the trees disposed from the site, then the service will also be include in the total price.

Generally on the average, local tree surgeons will charge about £500 to £650 for a day’s work. But this can also be higher or lower depending on your location.

Tree surgeons will be able to remove any logs or wood chippings produced by the work carried out from your garden. They will then dispose of these in an environmentally friendly manner. Generally the companies will cut and dry the wood and then sell it on to the local community.

Although we advocate non-removal of trees, but we also know for a fact that this isn’t always possible especially when it involves safety challenges or damage to property. If you’re looking to remove a tree on your property, then you should probably confirm whether or not you’d require a council approval.

In the UK, if the tree you want removed has a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) placed on it, then before you’ll be able to perform any sort of work to the tree ( be it cutting a branch or felling/ removing the tree), you must obtain a permission from the council.

The Tree Preservation Order is created by local planning authorities such as a district, borough or national park with the aim of providing adequate protection to trees which provide amenity values to the public. Any act to the TPO protected tree such as cutting down, topping, lopping, uprooting or wilful damage considered a criminal offence. In other words, if the tree on your property is visible and is enjoyed by the public then there’s a possibility that there’s a TPO placed on it. To confirm whether or not this is the case, you can reach out to your local council’s tree officer for more information.

You will need to fill out an application form and submit to your local authority in order to request permission of remove a tree. In the event whereby you happen to reside in a Conservation Area, the same rules applies as TPO-placed trees but you don’t necessarily need to have TPO placed on them.

If the tree is in your garden without a TPO placed on it and you do not live in a Conservation Area, then you would not need to apply for permission to have it removed.