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Arboricultural Impact Assessment Surrey

The assessment that tests the proposed layout against retained trees and explains the impacts, mitigation and arboricultural case for the design.

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What this document is for

Arboricultural Impact Assessment for Surrey projects

An Arboricultural Impact Assessment is prepared when there is a proposal to assess. It takes the survey information and asks the questions the planning officer needs answered: which trees are retained, which are removed, where development reaches into arboricultural constraints and what mitigation makes the proposal workable.

The useful part of an AIA is the connection between the drawing and the written reasoning. Building footprints, hard surfacing, access, drainage, services, changes in level, demolition and working space can all affect retained trees. The assessment should identify the real conflicts rather than simply repeat survey data.

If your architect has a live layout, send that revision with the tree survey and any council comments. We can confirm whether the design is ready for an AIA and whether any particular issue should be resolved before the report is finalised.

What you receive

The exact output is matched to the project, but the core deliverables normally include the items below. If the council has supplied its own wording, that request is reviewed first so the proposal is built around the live requirement.

Assessment of tree removals and retention
Review of RPA and crown conflicts
Construction and access implications identified
Mitigation and design-response recommendations
Coordination with current proposal drawings
Clear planning justification for the arboricultural strategy

Technical detail

What makes the work useful to planning and design teams.

The aim is not to produce a long report for its own sake. The information should answer the project question clearly and remain consistent with the drawings being used.

Impact is wider than the footprint

A building can avoid an RPA while access, drainage, services or temporary construction operations still create a problem. The AIA considers the development as a whole.

Retention needs to remain realistic

A tree shown as retained should have enough space and a workable construction strategy. Unrealistic retention can create pressure for later pruning or removal.

Mitigation needs to be buildable

Where impacts are accepted, the mitigation must be capable of being translated into construction details, the AMS and the Tree Protection Plan.

Drawing control matters

The AIA should assess the same layout that is being submitted. Late drawing changes can alter the arboricultural conclusion and should be checked before submission.

Before the document is issued

Quality control that keeps the information usable.

An AIA is strongest when every identified impact can be traced back to the live proposal. Before issue, we check the relationship between retained trees and the proposed footprint, demolition, access, surfacing, level changes, drainage, services and working space where those matters are relevant to the scheme.

The assessment should distinguish between a genuine arboricultural conflict and something that can be resolved through design or construction detail. That distinction matters because the aim is not to describe impacts dramatically; it is to give the planning team a clear, defensible explanation of what changes and how the important trees can be retained.

Finally, the document should make the next decision obvious. If another BS5837 stage is needed, it should be clear why and when. If the current document completes the immediate requirement, the client should not be pushed into commissioning extra work simply because it exists on a service list.

Where it fits in the BS5837 sequence

Survey first. Then use the next document only when the project is ready for it.

Most development projects near trees follow a recognisable sequence: establish the tree resource, map the constraints, assess the actual proposal, then set out the protection and construction methods needed to deliver it. Not every small project needs every document, and not every document should be commissioned at the same time.

If you are still designing, early survey and constraints information may be the most valuable spend. If you already have a stable layout, the impact assessment becomes more relevant. If planning permission is in place, the focus often moves to AMS, TPP and supervision. The quote should reflect the stage you are actually at.

01SurveyRecord the trees and establish the evidence base.
02ConstraintsMap crowns and RPAs for design.
03AssessmentTest the live proposal against the tree resource.
04Construction detailSet out protection, methods and supervision.

Common project situations

When clients normally ask for Arboricultural Impact Assessment.

If your situation is not listed, send the actual request. The site and planning stage are more important than matching a generic example.

Planning application has a fixed proposed layout

Council requests an AIA after initial tree information

Design encroaches close to RPAs or crowns

Revised scheme needs impacts reassessed

Information that speeds up the quote

Show us the project as it exists today.

Send the site address, current architectural drawing, topographical survey if available, and the exact wording from the council, tree officer, Building Control or project consultant. Include any earlier tree survey or report too. Existing information may still be useful and should be checked before repeat work is recommended.

If there is a submission date, condition-discharge deadline or construction start date, include that at the beginning. Programme can affect what needs to happen first.

Questions

Arboricultural Impact Assessment FAQs

These are general planning answers. Your council condition or validation request may be more specific.

When do I need an AIA?

Usually once there is a sufficiently developed proposal to compare against the survey and tree constraints.

Does the AIA decide which trees can be removed?

It explains the arboricultural consequences of the proposed removals and retention strategy so the planning authority can consider them alongside other planning matters.

Can an AIA support work within an RPA?

It can assess the impact and justify a suitable approach where the circumstances and design support it, but the detail may need to be carried into an AMS.

What if the architect changes the layout?

Send the revision. The impact assessment should be checked against the actual submission drawing.

Do I need a survey before the AIA?

Yes, the assessment depends on reliable tree data and constraints information.

Arboricultural Impact Assessment · Surrey

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