Cutting down tree

Grime

Hello.

I'm currently looking to buy my first house and I've found a place which I'm quite keen on only it has a bloody great tree in the back garden which, if I moved in, I would very much like to cut down. However I didn't realise this tree may be protected and if this was the case I wouldn't be able to cut it down. How do I find out whether or not it is protected? I've already asked the estate agents but they're not interested in trying to find out so I guess it's up to me.

Thanks in advance.

phead

You need to speak with the tree officer at the local council, might be easier to email with a good description of the location, or a annotated map. Otherwise you need to phone and make a visit to their offices.

hartcjhart

phead wrote: »

You need to speak with the tree officer at the local council, might be easier to email with a good description of the location, or a annotated map. Otherwise you need to phone and make a visit to their offices.

agree also google map it in sat view and send the link as well

fiddiwebb

How big and what kind of tree?

davidlizard

As phead says, the first point of contact is with your local council - you should be able to find this information on their web site.

Send them an email, saying you want to chop the tree down, and what is the process. If you are like us, you could be lucky - our council replied saying that there were no protected trees on our property and I could go ahead and chop down what I like - they needed nothing more specific. Keep a record of email exhanges just in case.

Regarding chopping trees down, this can easily cost a couple of thousand to get it done professionally, including stump removal and removal of the tree. However, there is no reason why you cannot chop trees down yourself if you feel up to it and are confident you won't flatten your neighbours house in doing so - we have taken around 50 out. Disposing of the tree can be an issue if you are unable to burn it. Youtube has plenty of advice.

Also be aware that removal of a tree can in some cases result in the moisture not being taken out of the soil, which could result in subsidence issues. Could be worth mentioning this to your surveyor.

Mojisola

Getting rid of the wood is no problem if you join your local freegle group. Loads of people will want to have it.

Grime

Great! Thanks for all the advice everyone!