Trees are a valuable asset to all of us for many reasons, but they can cause problems if they are in the wrong place, or if something is wrong with them.

Across our boundaries, we are responsible for quite a number of trees – almost 16,000 of them. That number doesn’t include the trees you have in your own gardens.

Where we are responsible for trees, we will make sure they provide as many benefits as possible – and that we identify and fix any problems.

What we can and can't do

What we can do to solve a problem might be limited. For instance, if the tree is in a conservation area, or has a tree preservation order on it (Town and Country Planning Act 1990), we might not be able to touch it.

There are also some things we won’t do, such as pruning or felling trees just because of shade, falling leaves, fruit or flowers, pollen or because they are interfering with televisions, mobile phones or your WiFi signal. (If you experience WiFi problems, your service provider needs to know. Likewise if cables are obstructed, they are the responsibility of the owner of those cables).

We also don’t prune or fell trees because of bird droppings, obstructions of views, or because they are too big or too tall.

However, we can promise you that your health and safety is always our top priority. If we think there is a serious tree risk, we will work with all parties involved to resolve it. 

Healthy Trees = Happy Residents!

We have been working with the Treework Environment Practice to identify all the trees we are responsible for. Our aim is to maintain a healthy stock of trees which will benefit residents and the environment, respond to any enquires about trees and find solutions to any problems.

We may not be able to act immediately. Damaged or decayed trees, which we are not responsible for, can fall onto our land and we need to work with who is responsible for these trees to fix the problem. Trees may also be your own responsibility if they are in your own gardens. But, we will always let you know what needs to happen – and if we need to fix the problem, or if you do. Even if something is your responsibility, we will offer help and advice if a problem is really big, dangerous or expensive).

If you have any tree enquiries or problems, please contact us or talk to your housing officer when they are next on your estate.