BS5837 Tree Survey & Arboricultural Planning Package — NHS GP Surgery, Whitefield Library, Whitefield

Client: NHS Property Services Ltd


Project Overview: NHS Property Services Ltd, working with architect Gilling Dod, was converting the former Whitefield Library on Pinfold Lane into a new primary care GP surgery. The constrained urban site contained 18 individual trees and groups — many with root protection areas overlapping the proposed works footprint. Bury Council required a full BS5837 arboricultural planning package before the application could be validated.


Our Role: Urban Tree Management delivered the complete BS5837 package — tree survey and schedule, Tree Constraints Plan in AutoCAD at 1:500 scale, Arboricultural Impact Assessment, Tree Protection Plan, and Arboricultural Method Statement. The survey categorised six trees as Category B and eleven as Category C. The Tree Constraints Plan was plotted onto OS base at OS National Grid BNG coordinates — giving the Gilling Dod design team a precise picture of all arboricultural constraints before the layout was finalised.


Findings & Recommendations:

  • Six Category B trees retained within the scheme — all protected by Construction Exclusion Zones specified in the Tree Protection Plan
  • Two Category C groups removed to accommodate the building footprint — removal clearly justified in the Arboricultural Impact Assessment
  • Below-ground service routing within root protection areas addressed — hand-dig methods specified in accordance with National Joint Utilities Group guidelines
  • Existing hard surfacing removal and replacement within root protection areas addressed with ground protection and hand tool methods


Outcome: Planning package accepted by Bury Council. All six Category B trees retained. A complete, technically robust arboricultural planning submission for a significant NHS healthcare infrastructure project delivered on programme.

BS5837 Tree Surveys for Healthcare Development — Greater Manchester, Lancashire & Cheshire


Urban Tree Management provides full BS5837 arboricultural planning packages for NHS development projects, GP surgeries, care homes, and other healthcare infrastructure schemes across the North West — delivering technically robust, clearly presented arboricultural documentation that meets local planning authority requirements and supports successful planning outcomes.


Get in contact with our highly experienced and personable team of arboriculturists today, to discuss your requirements and to obtain your zero obligation quotation