← All guides · Rules & paperwork · Updated October 2026

How to check if your Wingham tree has a TPO.

Dover District has more than 600 Tree Preservation Orders in force. Some cover individual trees, some cover groups, some cover entire woodlands. TPOs can sit on mature specimen trees in older gardens, churchyards and parkland, so it is worth checking before any work on a large tree.

If a tree is under a TPO, the Section 211 conservation-area rules don't apply: TPO rules apply instead, and they are stricter. You need formal written consent before you touch the tree, not just six weeks of notice.

Three ways to check

1. Dover District Council TPO map. Dover's tree protection page links to an interactive map for checking whether a tree has a TPO. Zoom to your address and look for an Order marked on your tree. If the map is unclear, ask the council.
2. Email the tree officer. tree.enquiries@dover.gov.uk. Send the location and species of the tree. The council can confirm whether it is protected.
3. Your conveyancing pack. If you bought recently, the Local Land Charges search should show any TPO on the property. If in doubt, get the search redone.

What the TPO paperwork looks like

An Order names the tree (species, position), gives it a reference number, and restricts what can be done to it without consent. The most common form for a single specimen tree bans: cutting down, topping, lopping, uprooting, wilful damage or wilful destruction, unless the council has given written consent. Same wording as Section 211, but with a hard consent requirement instead of a notice period.

Applying for consent

Section-211 sits alongside TPO consent, so if the same tree is both in a conservation area and under a TPO, the TPO route is the one you follow. The consent application is a short form: describe the tree, describe the work, describe why, attach a photo. There is no fee. If the council has not decided within eight weeks of receiving the application, you can appeal on grounds of non-determination.

The council weighs the amenity value of the tree against your reasons for the work. Light pruning with a clear purpose, such as a crown lift for clearance or formative pruning of a young tree, is easier to justify than heavy work for convenience. Amenity value carries real weight.

Reasons for refusal you can work around

Most TPO applications refused for aesthetic or amenity reasons can be worked around by scaling back the ask. Instead of "reduce crown by 40%" try "reduce spread on north side by 2 metres to clear house line." A report from a qualified arboriculturist can support the application.

What happens if you damage a TPO tree without consent

Serious offence. GOV.UK gives the penalty as a fine of up to £20,000 in the magistrates' court and an unlimited fine in the Crown Court, plus a duty to replace a tree that was removed or destroyed.

Dead or dangerous trees

Same exemption as Section 211. Genuinely dead or genuinely dangerous trees can be dealt with without consent, but you must give the council notice (five working days before the work for a dead tree, or as soon as practicable afterwards where there is an immediate risk of serious harm) and be able to show the tree was in that condition. Photograph before you start, if there is any time to do that safely.

How this fits with Section 211

• Neither TPO nor conservation area. Do what you like (subject to the general Wildlife and Countryside Act rules on birds and bats).
• Conservation area only. Six weeks' written notice for stems over 75mm. See our Section 211 walkthrough.
• TPO only. Formal written consent required before any work.
• Both. TPO route applies. Written consent required.

Sources: GOV.UK, Tree Preservation Orders and trees in conservation areas (checked 12 October 2026); Dover District Council, tree protection page; Town and Country Planning Act 1990 ss.198-214; Town and Country Planning (Tree Preservation) (England) Regulations 2012; Dover District Council TPO register.