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Glasgow's Trees

 

 

Glasgow’s abundance of trees is one of the City’s major assets and a vital component of its urban landscape.  They add colour and interest to the townscape, provide a sense of scale, soften the visual impact of the built environment, and contribute greatly to the City's character and amenity.  They are a valuable wildlife habitat and benefit the environment by filtering dust, wind and noise, and by helping to recycle harmful 'greenhouse' gases.

 

To recognise this importance and to prevent uncontrolled felling or tree surgery, many trees are protected under planning legislation. This is a statutory duty on the Council. Tree management is the responsibility of the tree owner. With good maintenance, management and protection of existing trees and encouragement to plant new trees, the Council hopes to ensure a good quality, diverse tree cover throughout the city.

 

Process for finding out whether a tree owner etc needs to notify the council.

 

To find out if a tree is protected you can

 

  • check on the City Council’s web site for Tree Preservation Orders, Conservation Areas and Planning Permissions.

  • call the Council’s Landscape and Environment team (L+E) on 0141 287 8670

     
  • check at the Register of Sasines (Land Register).

  • If you are a GHA tenant you should contact either your Housing Officer or Land and Environmental Services on 0141 276 1653.

  • If the tree is on Council owned land or a pavement contact Land and Environmental Services (Parks) Arboricultural team on 0141 287 5920

 

 

Different requirements for different types of protection

 

A tree may be protected by being in a Tree Preservation Order or a Conservation Area or by Conditions put on a Planning Permission. Any species of tree may be protected, but not bushes or shrubs.

 

  • TPO. You must obtain permission in writing from the Council for any work to a tree protected by TPO.

  • Conservation Area. You must give the council 6 weeks notice of the intended work. It is an offence to carry out work within that period without consent.

  • Planning permission to carry out building work may have a condition to prevent any unapproved work to the trees.

 

The most likely times when you may not require permission are when the tree is dead, dying or dangerous. You should notify us as soon as possible before or after the work is done, and we recommend taking photos of the tree as a record.

 

The following links provide guidance on how to obtain permission for tree works and on tree preservation procedures for tree owners and their neighbours.