Tree Protection Plans — Greater Manchester, Lancashire & Cheshire
Tree Protection Plans are a required element of planning applications where trees are present on or near a development site. Produced in conjunction with an Arboricultural Impact Assessment and Arboricultural Method Statement, a Tree Protection Plan translates the findings of the tree survey into clear, AutoCAD-drawn site plans that show contractors, site managers, and local authority tree officers exactly how retained trees will be protected throughout construction.
Urban Tree Management produces Tree Protection Plans for developers, architects, and homeowners across Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Cheshire, and the wider North West.
What is a Tree Protection Plan?
A Tree Protection Plan is a scaled drawing plotted directly onto the site layout plan using AutoCAD. It shows the location and dimensions of all trees recommended for retention, their root protection areas, and the specific protection measures to be installed before construction begins. The plan is submitted with the planning application and forms part of the approved planning conditions — meaning the local planning authority can inspect the site at any time during construction to verify compliance.
A well-produced Tree Protection Plan does two things: it helps secure planning permission by demonstrating to the local authority that retained trees will be properly safeguarded, and it gives contractors a clear, unambiguous reference document to follow on site — reducing the risk of accidental tree damage and the costly remediation or enforcement action that can follow.
What a Tree Protection Plan Includes
- Scaled AutoCAD drawing plotted onto the site layout plan
- Location and dimensions of all trees and hedgerows to be retained
- Root Protection Areas shown for each retained tree
- Exclusion zones where no construction activity, storage, or vehicle movement is permitted
- Tree protection fencing positions and specification
- Temporary ground protection details for areas of unavoidable activity within RPAs
- No-dig zone annotations where underground services or hard surfaces approach tree roots
- Service and utility routing recommendations to avoid root damage
- Facilitation pruning requirements prior to construction
How the TPP Works with Your AIA and AMS
The Tree Protection Plan is one of three documents that together form your complete arboricultural planning package. The Arboricultural Impact Assessment identifies which trees are affected by the development and assesses the level of impact. The Arboricultural Method Statement describes in writing how construction works near trees will be carried out. The Tree Protection Plan then translates both documents into a clear site drawing that everyone on the project — from the planning officer to the groundworker — can understand and follow.
Submitting all three documents together as part of your planning application significantly reduces the risk of objections, conditions, or requests for further information from the local authority tree officer.
Local Authority Inspections During Construction
Once planning permission is granted with tree protection conditions, the local planning authority has the right to visit the site at any point during construction to check that the approved Tree Protection Plan is being implemented correctly. Failures to comply — such as fencing not erected, materials stored within exclusion zones, or ground compaction within RPAs — can result in enforcement action, stop notices, or conditions being imposed on future applications.
A clearly drawn, detailed Tree Protection Plan that is easy to follow on site is the best protection against these issues. Urban Tree Management remains available throughout the construction phase to advise on any site queries and to liaise directly with the local authority tree officer if required.
Tree Protection Plans Under the New Draft BS5837
The Tree Protection Plan remains a core requirement under the new draft BS5837. The key change affecting protection plans is the revised RPA calculation for mature Category A trees — DBH x 15 capped at 22.5m radius rather than the current DBH x 12 — which will result in significantly larger protection zones for the highest quality trees on some sites. Urban Tree Management's Tree Protection Plans are produced to the new draft RPA calculations as standard.
FAQ
Do I need a Tree Protection Plan for my planning application?
If trees are being retained on or adjacent to the site, almost certainly. Most authorities require a TPP alongside the impact assessment and method statement where construction takes place near retained trees.
What's the difference between a TPP and an AMS?
The Tree Protection Plan is the drawing — it shows where fencing goes, where the exclusion zones sit, and what the root protection areas are. The method statement is the written document describing how work near those trees is carried out. Most applications need both.
When does the protection fencing need to go up?
Before any work starts on site, including demolition, site clearance and delivery of materials. Most tree conditions are worded as pre-commencement conditions, so work cannot lawfully begin until the fencing is installed and, usually, signed off.
Can the fencing be moved during construction?
Only where the method statement provides for it and with appropriate protection in the interim. Fencing taken down for a delivery and not put back is the single most common cause of tree damage on site.
Tree Protection Plans — Greater Manchester, Lancashire & Cheshire
A Tree Protection Plan is the drawing everyone on site actually works from — the planning officer checking the application, the contractor setting out the fencing, and the tree officer who may turn up mid-build to verify compliance. Getting it clear, accurate and easy to follow is what keeps retained trees safe and keeps your scheme out of enforcement.
Urban Tree Management produces AutoCAD-drawn Tree Protection Plans for developers, architects and homeowners across the North West, delivered alongside your impact assessment and method statement as a single coordinated package. Independent, Level 6 qualified, and produced to the new draft BS5837 RPA calculations as standard.
Get in contact with our highly experienced and personable team of arboricultural consultants today, to discuss your requirements and to obtain your zero obligation quotation.
