If you are planning a new residential or commercial property development in London, Kent or surrounding counties and there are trees either on or adjacent to your site or proposed development area, you will almost certainly need to submit an Arboricultural Implications Assessment (AIA) when making your planning application to the local authority. In short, an AIA reviews the proposal and the existing trees in detail, with the aim of determining the level of impact to (or from) the proposed development. This assessment should be prepared by an experienced arboricultural professional or it will not be acceptable to the planning committee. Our arboricultural consultancy has over 10 years of experience, and we are able to prepare detailed arboricultural implications assessments for all types of developments and would be delighted to provide you with the advice and reports you need.
Do You Really Need an Arboricultural Impact Assessment?
Trees are classed as a ‘Material Consideration’ in the planning process, and councils have a statutory duty to consider the protection and planting of trees when granting planning permission for proposed development, which effectively means the applicant has that duty to trees too. If there are any trees within 15 metres of your proposed development, even on someone else’s property, the council are likely to request an Arboricultural Implications Assessment at the pre-appraisal or planning determination stage, so they can ensure the development has no undue impact on trees.
Not only that, but trees provide unparalleled natural beauty, ecosystem services and a strong feeling of connection to nature that we simply can’t replicate any other way than letting trees grow unaffected. If trees aren’t properly considered during building works, you may be seriously damaging your tree without even knowing it! Tree roots spread a lot further and are much more sensitive to digging and compaction than many people may think. By obtaining professional advice at the early stages of your development design, you can be sure that the trees on or near your property can provide their visual amenity, screening and ecosystem benefits for decades to come, ultimately complementing your development.
If you would like our professional opinion on a specific site, please feel free to contact our consultancy team by phone or email.
What an Arboricultural Implications Assessment Includes
As part of our Arboricultural Implications Assessment service, we will compare the tree data collected during our site visit with your proposed scheme, highlight direct and indirect impacts both to trees and the proposal, evaluate those impacts and where necessary recommend mitigation measures to improve the long term relationship between trees and development.
In some cases where a proposed scheme is supplied which has not been informed by arboricultural guidance from early design stages, the survey may reveal potentially significant impacts or incompatibilities with existing trees, which may include protected trees! If in our opinion the council are unlikely to approve the application in its current form, our Arboricultural Implications Assessment report may make recommendations for design changes with the sole aim of reducing impacts to or from trees and improving the likelihood of the proposal being found acceptable by the Planning Authority.
New developments can impact trees in a range of ways, most commonly:
Excavation for foundations, or changing soil levels
New surfaces, roads, patios, paths and other hard landscaping
Drainage and other underground services
Construction Work
What’s more, trees can also have adverse impacts on developments, including:
Excessive shading of living areas
Dropping leaves and seeds onto new surfaces
Root damage lifting new paths and driveways
We consider all available details supplied to us to ensure all of these issues are ironed out as best as possible, so you can maximise on the quality of your development. We will use our years of experience to ensure that you receive only accurate, impartial and measured arboricultural advice.
With our detailed assessment of the impact that all of the above are likely to have on trees on or near your site, you can be confident that your planning applications stands an excellent chance of being approved on arboricultural grounds.
For more information about our arboricultural impact assessment service, don’t hesitate to call or message us.
Areas we cover
We cover most of the South East including Kent, Surrey, Sussex, London and Essex.
