Tree procedures and inspection schedule
We can only act on trees or hedges causing an issue on public/council land and highways, not on privately-owned land.
- For guidance and advice relating to privately owned trees, you can consult an insured arboriculturist.
- Issues of privately owned trees affecting your property are a civil matter and you should contact a solicitor. You can check who owns land via the Land Registry.
Tree works on council land
Any tree works we carry out are prioritised based on a formal risk assessment rating following inspection by qualified arboriculturists. We have a standard three year inspection cycle and works are programmed as needed within the priority framework of statutory requirements.
With the exception of dangerous trees and safety issues, where legitimate enquiries are logged for actionable statutory tree work, we will check if the tree in question has been inspected in the past three years.
- If it has been inspected in this time frame, it will not be reinspected as any works identified at the last inspection will still be current and already on the tree work register.
- If the tree has not been inspected within the past three years, we will schedule an inspection. Once inspected, an arboriculturist will recommend if any statutory works need to be carried out and scheduled as necessary.
Timescales and responding to tree reports
We cannot provide a time frame for works as the priority list can change as new enquiries are logged and ranked - with higher risks prioritised, particularly after severe winds and storms. As such, it could take several years for non-priority works to climb the list and be actioned.
We will not escalate enquiries as any work will already have been prioritised in order of the risk assessment carried out in line with the council's trees procedures, as stated above.
Before reporting an issue, we recommend creating a My Council account. This means you can track any issues you log. If you already have an account, make sure you are logged in before submitting a report otherwise you won't be able to track it.
We cannot respond to reported issues or personally update you, but we will leave a comment on the report you have logged, for example, to state it is closed, to be inspected or works are scheduled.
Tree complaints
Do not use the council's formal 'Have Your Say' complaints process to report tree issues or to follow up an issue you have already reported.
The 'Have Your Say' complaints process should only be used when you can demonstrate that we have not followed the tree procedures above, for statutory highways safety issues relating to trees. You must have the original enquiry reference number from your initial report.
The 'Have Your Say' complaints process does not apply to any of the following:
- Pre-proceedings claims, which are exempt as part of a legal process
- Nuisance tree issues, including:
- Overhanging branches
- Branches obstructing power or telephone cables
- Branches blocking daylight, sunlight, views or are too tall
- Dropping leaves and/or leaves blocking gutters
- Dropping seeds, blossom, fruit or berries
- Sap or sticky substance (honeydew) dripping from trees
- Bird droppings
- Wildlife and insects in trees
- Trees interfering with TV reception, satellite, television
- Security cameras, sensors blocked by trees
- Solar collectors and panels obscured by trees
If you raise a formal 'Have Your Say' complaint about any of the above, they will be rejected as non-actionable enquiries and will not be escalated further.