PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT
Local planning authorities require the assessment of trees on or around a development site. Our reports are in accordance with British Standard BS 5387:2012 to accompany planning applications for developments of all sizes.
TREE SURVEY & CATEGORIZATION
The first stage in the process involves a site visit to accurately plot and measure the trees around the site to derive Root Protection Areas (RPA) where, as the default position, construction activity will be excluded or minimized where this may not be practical.
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Tree condition and their place within the enviroment are also assessed to allow our inspectors to categorize the trees for retention according to Table 1 of BS 5837:2012. This grading is then used to inform design decisions so that the impacts on higher value trees are preferentially considered.
ARBORICULTURAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT (AIA)
The stated goal of the BS 5837:2012 guidance is to achieve a long-term harmony between the new project and the trees that surround it. It is the job of the arboriculturist to assess the impacts and implications the proposal might have on the trees and, conversely, the impacts the trees might have on the proposal.
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The AIA is a document that seeks to clearly articulate the constraints posed and to mitigate them sufficiently to achieve that aim of the guidance. This document, as well as the tree survey and plan, accompany the planning application to the Local Planning Authority (LPA).
ARBORICULTURAL METHOD STATEMENT (AMS)
It is often the case that the LPA will condition the production of an Arboricultural Method Statement report - which is then scrutinized - before the granting full planning permission. This report sets out in detail the methodology by which the trees marked for retention will be protected during the course of the project.
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A to-scale Tree Protection Plan (TPP) will also be produced showing the positions of such protection measures as temporary fencing, construction exclusion zones, material storage areas, areas of temporary ground protection, etc.
MONITORING & SUPERVISION
Part of the AMS process is to assign a reasonable schedule of arboricultural monitoring and supervision of the site throughout the process to check on whether protection measures are being followed.
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It is the role of the appointed arboriculturist to carry out these inspections and produce a log of each visit so the LPA can be satisfied the trees are being protected as conditioned.
