BS5837 Tree Reports and Tree Surveys in Walton-on-the-Hill
A request for tree information can arrive at any point in the planning process. The important thing is to establish what the project has already done, what the authority is asking for now and which drawings are current. From there the next step is usually straightforward.
Send the current design and the wording you have been given. We can focus on the bit that matters — removals, footprint, access, surfacing, services, protection or condition discharge — with a scope proportionate to the scale and planning context of the proposal.
For this sort of job we normally check how close the excavation gets, whether the contractor has enough working room, what happens with drainage/access, and whether the finished extension still makes sense next to the retained crowns.
If the architect is still changing the Walton-on-the-Hill layout, send the current drawing now rather than waiting for the ‘final’ version. Tree information is most valuable while the footprint, access and service routes can still move without causing a redesign exercise later.
Use the wording from Reigate and Banstead Borough Council as the starting brief. If it asks for a Method Statement, an impact report will not answer the condition. If it asks for impact information, a protection drawing on its own is not enough. We match the work to the actual request.
If the drainage or utility routes are not fixed on the Walton-on-the-Hill project, mention that now. Keeping a trench away from important roots on the drawing is usually easier than engineering a solution after the route has been committed.
If the council has asked for tree information, send the exact wording.
A request for a “tree report” does not always mean the same document. At the early design stage it may mean a BS5837 Tree Survey and Tree Constraints Plan. Once a planning layout exists, the missing piece may be an Arboricultural Impact Assessment. After permission, the authority may be asking for an Arboricultural Method Statement, Tree Protection Plan or supervision before work starts.
You do not need to make that decision yourself. Forward the email, validation request, tree-officer comment or planning condition and include the current drawings. We will review what is already available and explain the next useful step before you instruct.








