Our Expert’s Guide to Treehouses Planning and Regulations
A treehouse can still be possible where a tree has a Tree Preservation Order or stands in a conservation area, but the design and the planning have to be approached carefully. We take the most tree friendly route: on stilts, around the tree, with nothing fixed into it.
Tree Preservation Orders
A Tree Preservation Order (TPO) restricts things like cutting down, pruning, uprooting or damaging the protected tree, including its roots. So you should never assume a treehouse can go in without first checking with the local planning authority.
Where a tree has a TPO, we build the treehouse on stilts and around the tree, and we do not fix the structure into it. There are no fixings or holes in the protected tree, which greatly reduces any possible impact on it. The stilts sit on screw piles, so there is no digging among the roots either.
We also recommend a tree survey or arboricultural report from a suitably qualified tree professional. It assesses the health and condition of the tree, what protection it needs, and the likely impact of the treehouse. Being able to show that the structure is completely independent of the tree can be a significant advantage when you discuss the proposal with the local authority.
Conservation areas
Trees in conservation areas have protection of their own, even without a TPO. In England you generally have to give the council six weeks’ notice before carrying out work to a tree. The council can then let the work go ahead, or make a Tree Preservation Order to protect the tree.
For that reason we always recommend checking with the council before any work starts, whatever the design of the treehouse.
How we approach these projects
Our first priority is always to keep the impact on the tree to a minimum. We build the planning and arboricultural requirements into the design from the very beginning, which gives the best chance of showing that the treehouse can be installed without harming the tree or its long term health.
Every protected tree and every site is different. What is required depends on the individual tree, the proposed design and the local planning authority. For planning permission for the treehouse itself, see do you need planning permission for a treehouse?
