Guide
Tree Preservation Orders and conservation areas in West Norfolk
Before anyone cuts anything, find out whether the tree is protected. This is guidance, not legal advice, and the council has the final word.
Independent enquiry service, not a tree surgery firm. Your enquiry goes to an established local tree surgery firm, who quotes and does the work direct.
Rules checked: October 2026.
The short version: some trees in the borough are protected, working on them without consent is an offence, and the Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk is the body that can tell you which. We are not the council and we cannot confirm anything about your tree. This page tells you what to look for and where to ask.
Tree Preservation Orders
A Tree Preservation Order, or TPO, is made by the council to protect a particular tree, a group or a woodland. Where one applies, you generally need the council’s consent before cutting down, topping, lopping or uprooting the tree, and doing so without consent is an offence. A tree with a TPO might not look special. A plain sycamore in a back garden can be protected just as readily as a veteran oak.
Conservation areas
Trees in a conservation area are usually protected in a different way. Rather than needing consent, you are generally expected to give the council written notice before the work, and the council then has a period, commonly six weeks, to decide whether to respond with a TPO. The rules turn on the size of the tree, so check the current detail rather than relying on a rule of thumb. Whether your own street falls inside one is easy to get wrong by guessing, so check your address on the borough council’s map before any work, whatever the village.
Where to check
- The borough council’s website, west-norfolk.gov.uk. Search for tree preservation orders. The council publishes an online map of TPOs and conservation areas, and its planning team can confirm by address.
- The government’s guidance on Tree Preservation Orders and trees in conservation areas.
Do not guess from the look of the street. Two neighbouring houses can be on opposite sides of a boundary.
Other ways a tree can be protected
Trees on newer housing estates are sometimes protected by a condition attached to the planning permission rather than by a TPO. If a house was built in the last few decades, the deeds or the original permission may say. Trees on land the council owns, such as parks, verges or the Walks, are the council’s business, not a private firm’s. Trees next to the highway are usually a matter for Norfolk County Council.
Exemptions, with a warning
There are exemptions, for example for trees that are dead or an immediate danger. They are narrow and the detail matters, so confirm with the council rather than relying on your own judgement, or a firm’s. If you are unsure, it is quicker to ask first than to explain afterwards.
What to tell the firm
Say in the form if there is a tag, a notice or a letter about the tree. Ask the firm whether they will check before they quote. A good firm will, and will not be offended that you asked. The felling or reduction guide covers what to do once you know where you stand.