Do I Need Permission to Cut Down a Tree in West Sussex?

In the UK, most trees in gardens can be pruned or removed without permission — but there are important exceptions. Councils use Tree Preservation Orders to protect individual trees, groups or whole woodlands, and West Sussex has a huge number of protected trees, particularly in Chichester, Arundel and Worthing.

Trees in conservation areas are also automatically protected, and any tree with a stem diameter over 75mm at 1.5m from the ground normally requires six weeks' written notice before work.

A TPO is a legal order made by the local council. It can cover one tree, several trees, or an entire area. It is a criminal offence to cut down, top, lop, uproot, wilfully damage or wilfully destroy a TPO tree without written consent — and fines can run into thousands of pounds per tree.

Before you agree to any work, ask your council to check the property against the TPO register. Woods Tree Specialists can help you check and, where appropriate, submit the application on your behalf.

Conservation areas exist across much of Chichester, Arundel, Worthing and Bognor Regis. If your tree is within one, you must give the council six weeks' notice of proposed work — even for pruning — unless the tree is dead or dangerous.

The council can then decide whether to allow the work, refuse it, or place a TPO on the tree during that period.

Cutting down a protected tree without permission is one of the most costly mistakes a homeowner can make. Enforcement teams do inspect complaints, and neighbours often report unauthorised work. A qualified tree surgeon will always ask about protection status before starting.

We regularly deal with TPOs and conservation area applications across West Sussex. We can inspect your tree, tell you whether it is likely protected, prepare a sympathetic work specification, and submit the paperwork so the council has what it needs to approve the work.

This is particularly important around Chichester Cathedral, Priory Park and the Goodwood Estate, where mature trees are almost always protected.

Once permission is granted, we plan the removal properly — sectional dismantling where required, careful ground protection, and full clearance of waste. You get a legally sound job and a tidy garden at the end of it.