Differentiated by the notable city and the broader surrounding area, the City of Manchester and the Greater Manchester county is the second largest urban area after London. In recent times, it has been a hive of development, gaining traction as a city hailed by many as being worthy of challenging London in the future. A problem issue with cities is that, while the constant enhancement of the area breeds sources of revenue, it comes at the detriment of the natural environment.
Out of the 338 acres of woodland across 13 wooded areas, Manchester has more than 11 million trees. Even with a city present, the tree canopy cover is above the national average, currently at 21.1% as opposed to the average 16%. Part of what has given Manchester a superior tree canopy cover to the average is that many of the recent developments involved design considerations that worked towards constructing green infrastructure.
Trees are common natural assets that appear in both urban and rural areas, playing a crucial role in adding to the ecological standard and biodiversity value of a location.
More trees are expected to be planted – the City of Trees already planting more than 500,000 to date – but even that won’t prevent Manchester City Council and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) from restricting planning applications that could further reduce the number of trees. It is only possible to bypass issues in relation to trees by arranging a tree survey and allowing an arboriculturist to assist with tree problems and planning applications.
Development Obstacles Caused by Trees
Instead of allowing trees from suffering unnecessarily, the local council are able to protect specific trees within their jurisdiction. Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs) and conservation areas act as the two primary methods of protecting trees, with multiple similarities between them, such as the need to ask the local planning authority up to six weeks notice before any works that could cause wilful damage to trees in relation to the site. A difference between the two, however, is the fact that a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) can apply to any individual trees while a conservation area applies to any and all trees that are located in an outlined location.
Prior to a planning project, it is understandable to not see trees on the development site as an important factor. Trees, however, emit oxygen, soak up carbon dioxide and act as a home to certain protected species including red squirrels and bats, making them a valuable asset in the eyes of the local authorities. Depending on the condition, trees can also require inspections for health and safety purposes. With that in mind, anyone developing land should consider the potential need for tree services, particularly as the local council could have opted to protect specific trees.
An arboricultural consultant will attend a site for tree surveys with the intention of reviewing information about the proposed development and addressing it in relation to present trees. If trees and other vegetation are expected to face disturbance or vice versa, the trees will face intervention or the project will undergo changes. A tree survey report containing all findings from the assessment can then be put together and sent across to the local planning authority, removing any obstacles to trigger a successful planning application.
Tree Reports to Support Planning
Various tree surveys and reports are intended to suit several different purposes. More often than not, a BS5837 tree survey (British Standard 5837) is the baseline tree risk assessment in relation to design, demolition and construction work. A ground level site visit will be executed by an arboricultural surveyor, and the primary aim of the tree survey for planning will be to gauge the physiological and structural condition of all tree stock on the site, giving them a grading based on these factors and additional considerations such as life expectancy and indirect or direct damage that could come from the development.
Gradings given to present and surrounding trees on the site will be used to plan the best course of action for each of them between the options of retention, relocation and destruction. Tree consultants will always value retention above all other possibilities in tree condition and safety surveys, but if the development plans cannot be altered to incorporate the presence of a tree or if a tree has structural defects that could be a risk to tree safety or the safety of individuals on the site, the arboricultural advice will be to relocate them elsewhere or destroy them and compensate with the planting of new trees of a similar quality.
The arboricultural consultant will then turn their attention to producing a tree report, featuring sufficient evidence from the completed tree surveys, a Tree Constraints Plan (TCP) that outlines all trees, and any next steps regarding tree management and risk management. Such a report should meet all arboricultural requirements, but if not, the arboricultural consultants can return to the site for further surveys, such as to undertake stage two in the survey process and assemble a Tree Protection Plan (TPP), an Arboricultural Impact Assessment (AIA) and an Arboricultural Method Statement (AMS).
Following all tree surveys, arboricultural survey reports are created with the goal of eliminating or at least minimising any fears the corresponding local planning authorities have about trees on the site, the development and any conflicts between the two. A report from a tree survey should possess all of the necessary components to do this, and as a side effect, it should also contribute to the planning application.
Send Over Your Details for a Quote
If you would like for us to refer you to a company that can undertake a tree survey in Manchester for your project, get in touch as soon as possible and we can help. Based on years of working with different professionals and individuals, our connections have grown from countless communications, including with mortgage providers / mortgage lenders that needed advice for mortgage purposes and people that were staging private developments on existing properties.
An arboricultural consultancy we are close with possesses the crucial professional indemnity and public liability insurance cover and have proven themselves as experts in health and safety tree surveys, arboricultural advice and solving numerous tree related issues for developers and tree owners, as well as more extensive tree management measures such as creating Tree Protection Plans (TPPs). Due to an ability to cover all parts of the country, the arboricultural consultants can conduct Manchester tree surveys and arboricultural assessments in practically any other location.
Before the arboricultural consultancy can provide tree surveys for you, you will need to submit information about your site and project. For a free quote on any tree services, contact us to discuss your needs and we can point you in their direction. Either visit our contact page or fill out the contact form at the top of this page, and we can work out when the arboriculturists can conduct tree surveys in Manchester for your planning project and help you to meet the needs of the local planning authority and secure a successful planning application.
