Planning BS5837 · Surrey

Arboricultural Impact Assessment Surrey

Need to show how a proposed development affects retained trees? The Arboricultural Impact Assessment explains the relationship between the live planning layout and the trees that matter to the site.

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You can send the plans and the wording you have received. We will confirm what information is needed before you instruct.

What this service is for

Explain the tree impacts clearly before the application is determined

The AIA takes the survey information and tests it against the proposed development. It identifies removals, incursions, conflicts and mitigation so the Local Planning Authority can understand what changes, what remains and how retained trees will be dealt with.

The AIA is where the proposed development is tested against the tree information. It should show the Local Planning Authority that the design team understands the arboricultural consequences of the scheme rather than treating trees as an afterthought.

A good assessment deals with the real conflicts: building footprint, access, hard surfacing, level changes, drainage, services, demolition, construction space and future crown relationships. It also distinguishes between unavoidable impact and avoidable impact that should be designed out.

The assessment only works if it is tied to the correct drawing revision. If the architect changes the scheme, send the update before the application goes in.

What you receive

The exact output depends on the site and project stage, but the work should always be clear, coordinated and usable by the people making the next decision.

Assessment of proposed tree removals and retention
RPA incursions and mitigation strategy
Crown, access, drainage and service conflicts
Demolition and construction implications
Replacement planting or other mitigation where appropriate
Recommendations that flow into AMS, TPP and supervision

The finished information should be easy for the client and design team to understand, technically defensible for the Local Planning Authority and practical enough to carry forward into the next project stage.

Delivered by Arbor Cultural: read the main Arboricultural Impact Assessment service information →

What matters technically

The details that make the document useful.

The strongest arboricultural documents are not generic. They connect the tree information to the live drawings, explain the points that matter and leave as little room as possible for contradictory interpretation.

Retention and removal

The AIA should make clear which trees are retained, which are removed and why those decisions are necessary for the scheme.

Root and crown impacts

Incursions into RPAs, crown conflicts and changes in levels or surfacing need to be quantified and explained, not simply acknowledged.

Mitigation

Where impacts remain, the assessment should explain what design response, construction method, replacement planting or protection measure makes the proposal workable.

Future relationship

The completed development should remain compatible with retained trees, taking account of crown space, shading, access and foreseeable pressure for future pruning.

How it fits into the wider BS5837 process

The AIA sits between the tree survey and the construction-stage documents.

The survey provides the baseline. The AIA then asks what the proposed development does to that baseline and whether the relationship is acceptable.

If planning is granted, the mitigation identified in the AIA should be carried into the AMS and Tree Protection Plan so the construction documents deliver the strategy that was actually assessed.

01Survey & constraints

02Design & AIA

03AMS & TPP

04Supervision & sign-off

Before you request a quote

Send whatever project information you already have.

You do not need to build a perfect technical brief. Start with the site address, the current drawings and the exact wording from the council, tree officer, architect, engineer or Building Control team. If a previous arboricultural report exists, include it. If the design has been revised, send the latest revision.

Send the current proposal, any existing BS5837 survey and the planning or tree-officer wording. If several layouts have existed, make clear which revision is being submitted.

If there is a planning submission, condition-discharge or construction deadline, include that date as well. Programme matters because some services depend on a site visit, drawing information or an earlier BS5837 stage being complete.

We would rather tell you that a document is not needed than sell the wrong one. The aim is to identify the information that unlocks the next real project decision.

Where clients normally need this

Typical project situations

AIA work is most relevant once there is a real design to assess — particularly where buildings, access, surfacing, services or level changes sit close to retained trees.

Extension close to retained trees

The assessment explains excavation, crown relationship, access and protection where the building moves closer to existing trees.

Replacement dwelling

The new footprint, access, parking and construction strategy are assessed against retained and removed trees.

Infill or redevelopment

The AIA shows how development density, access and amenity can be reconciled with the retained tree resource.

Revised planning layout

An existing arboricultural package needs to be checked against a design that has materially changed.

After instruction

What happens once you go ahead.

The exact sequence changes by service, but the working principle is the same: review the live project, complete the technical work, keep the drawings coordinated and issue information that has a clear purpose.

Project review

We check the current drawings, authority wording and any previous arboricultural information. This establishes what is already known and prevents the new work being prepared in isolation.

Site work where required

Survey-based services include the relevant site inspection and measurements. Later-stage documents may rely primarily on approved information, current construction detail and targeted site context.

Technical coordination

The Arboricultural Impact Assessment is prepared against the project information that actually matters to the decision. Drawing references and tree numbers should remain clear throughout.

Issue and next step

You receive the finished information for the project team. Where another BS5837 stage follows later, the report should make that obvious rather than leaving the client to guess what happens next.

Where the design changes materially after issue, send the revised drawing. We can check whether the document remains applicable or whether a focused amendment is required. Keeping the technical information aligned is far easier than explaining inconsistent documents after submission.

A useful report is more than a compliance exercise

It should help somebody make a decision.

A technically correct document can still be difficult to use if it is vague, disconnected from the drawings or written without the next project stage in mind. Good arboricultural work should reduce uncertainty rather than add another layer of terminology.

For the client, that means understanding what has been found and what it means for the project. For the architect, it means tree information that can be coordinated with the design. For the planning authority, it means a clear evidence trail. For the contractor, it means protection and construction requirements that can actually be followed on site.

We also distinguish between what is important now and what belongs later. There is little value in preparing construction-stage detail while the planning layout is still changing, just as there is little value in repeating feasibility discussion once a pre-commencement condition is the only thing stopping the build.

Keep the project moving

Tell us what decision is waiting.

If the application cannot be validated, send the validation request. If the tree officer has asked a question, send the full response. If a planning condition is preventing commencement, send the decision notice and approved drawings. If the engineer needs foundation-related tree data, send the Building Control request.

The fastest way to get the right answer is to show us the real blockage. From there, the Arboricultural Impact Assessment can be considered in the context of what the project needs to achieve next.

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What good looks like

The AIA should answer the obvious planning questions before the tree officer has to ask them.

Where is the impact? How much is it? Can it be avoided? If it remains, why is the mitigation realistic? Those points should be visible in the report and drawings.

The strongest AIA is neither defensive nor vague. It acknowledges genuine constraints and shows how the design has responded to them.

Keep the report and drawings on the same revision.

A surprisingly common problem is a technically competent report that refers to an old layout. If the footprint, access, levels, drainage, services or surfacing change, send the revision. We can then confirm whether the arboricultural information still stands or whether a targeted update is required.

That becomes even more important once the project reaches construction. The contractor needs documents that reflect what was approved and what is actually going to be built. Clear, coordinated information is easier for everybody: client, architect, planning officer, tree officer and site team.

Who we work with

Clear information for the whole project team.

Homeowners: you do not need to arrive with a technical brief. Send the council wording and drawings you have. We will explain what the request means and what information is needed next.

Architects and planning consultants: we can work directly from the live design information and keep the arboricultural documents tied to the correct revision. That is especially useful where the proposal is changing and tree constraints need to be considered as part of the design rather than after it.

Developers: consistent tree references and a clear document sequence make it easier to carry the same evidence from feasibility through planning and into construction.

Contractors: once permission is in place, the language needs to become practical. Protection zones, excavation methods, access restrictions and hold points should be obvious enough to use on site.

Tell us what you already have.

If somebody has already surveyed the trees, send the report. If the council has already accepted part of the arboricultural package, send the approved documents. If the architect has revised the scheme, send the new drawing as well as the old report.

Existing work is useful context. It helps us avoid repeating information unnecessarily and makes it easier to see where the project has genuinely changed.

If you are starting from scratch, that is fine too. An address and current plan are enough to begin the conversation, and the original council or consultant wording is the best guide where a formal request has already been made.

Questions clients ask us

Arboricultural Impact Assessment FAQs

These are general answers. If you have project-specific wording, send it with the drawings and we can tell you how it applies to your site.

When is an AIA needed?

Usually once there is a real development proposal to assess and trees may be affected by the building, access, surfacing, services or construction process.

Does an AIA require a tree survey first?

Normally it relies on suitable BS5837 survey information. Existing survey data can sometimes be used if it remains current and appropriate.

What drawings do you need?

The latest proposed layout and the relevant survey/base information. Access, levels, drainage and services can also be important where they affect trees.

Can an AIA support tree removals?

It can explain removals in the context of the proposal and tree quality, but the assessment must remain evidence-led rather than assuming removal is automatically acceptable.

What happens after the AIA?

If permission is granted, construction-stage requirements often move into an AMS, Tree Protection Plan and any required arboricultural supervision.

Ready to move it forward?

Get the impact assessment coordinated with the design you are actually submitting.

Send the current plans and existing tree information for a fixed-fee proposal.

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