What a TPO is
A Tree Preservation Order is a targeted protection. The council identifies specific trees, groups or woodlands and makes a written order naming them. From then on, most work on those trees needs the council's consent, applied for in advance.
Because it is specific, a TPO either applies to your tree or it does not — and the council's records will say which trees are covered.
What a conservation area is
A conservation area is a broader protection tied to a place rather than a tree. The council designates an area of special architectural or historic interest, and most trees above a certain size inside the boundary are protected automatically — without each one being named.
So the question for a conservation area is not "does this tree have an order?" but "is this tree inside the boundary and above the size threshold?"
How the rules differ
The practical difference is in what you have to do before tree work:
- TPO: you apply for the council's consent and wait for a decision before working.
- Conservation area: you give the council written notice — commonly six weeks — and, if it does not act to protect the tree in that time, you may proceed with the described work.
- Both: the protection covers a wide range of work, and ignoring it can be a criminal offence.
The routes feel similar but the mechanisms — consent versus notice — are different, so it matters which one applies.
Why 'no TPO found' does not always mean no restriction
This is the most important point. If a check shows no Tree Preservation Order, the tree may still be protected because it sits in a conservation area. It may also have a TPO that simply is not published in the data being searched.
In other words, a nil result removes one possibility, not all of them. Treating "no TPO found" as "safe to cut" is exactly the mistake that leads to unauthorised work — so never rely on it alone.
What to check before tree work
To get the full picture for an address:
- Search available public data by postcode for an indication.
- Confirm with the Local Planning Authority whether a TPO applies.
- Ask, separately, whether the property is in a conservation area.
- Find out whether consent or notice is needed for your specific work.
- Get written confirmation before booking anything.
Checking both protections together is the only way to avoid a nasty surprise.