Tree Preservation Orders and conservation areas: tree work rules in Shrewsbury
Highveld Landscapes · 11 June 2026
Shrewsbury's older streets and riverside areas are full of mature trees — and a good number of them are legally protected. Before any felling or major pruning, it pays to know exactly what you're dealing with, because the penalties for getting it wrong are genuinely steep.
TPOs: what they mean
A Tree Preservation Order is made by the council to protect specific trees or woodland. If a tree has a TPO, virtually any work — felling, topping, lopping, even root work — needs written consent from Shropshire Council before it starts. Applications are free but typically take up to eight weeks to decide.
Working on a TPO tree without consent is a criminal offence, with fines that can reach £20,000 per tree in the magistrates' court — and unlimited in serious cases. “I didn't know it was protected” isn't a defence, which is why checking first matters.
Conservation areas: the six-week rule
Much of Shrewsbury town centre and several surrounding villages are designated conservation areas. Any tree there with a trunk wider than 75mm (measured 1.5m up) is protected by default: you must give the council six weeks' written notice before doing work, which gives them time to decide whether to issue a TPO.
After six weeks with no objection, the work can go ahead. It's lighter-touch than a TPO, but skipping the notice carries the same penalties.
How we handle it
Every tree job we quote in Shrewsbury starts with a protection check against Shropshire Council's records. If consent or notice is needed, we tell you up front, handle the paperwork, and schedule the work for when it clears. No surprises, no risk to you as the owner — because legally, responsibility sits with whoever commissions the work as well as whoever does it.
Dead, dying or dangerous trees have exemptions for urgent safety work, but the rules around evidence are strict — photographs and five days' notice where possible. If a tree worries you, call us before touching it: 07540 120 284.
Quick answers
- How do I find out if my tree has a TPO?
- Shropshire Council holds the register — you can check via their planning department or online mapping. When we quote a tree job in Shrewsbury we run this check as standard before any work is scheduled.
- Can I prune a protected tree without permission?
- Not beyond very limited exemptions. Even light pruning of a TPO tree normally needs consent, and in a conservation area you must give six weeks' notice for any tree over 75mm trunk diameter. Urgent safety work on dangerous trees is exempt, but the evidence requirements are strict.