Tree management

The law protects certain individual and groups of trees, namely those trees that:

• have Tree Preservations Orders (TPOs)
• are within conservation areas

These trees are protected under a range of legislation that makes it an offence to carry out any work on those trees without permission from us.

Trees that grow in council-owned property or on public open spaces are also protected, as they are deemed as council property. Anyone wilfully damaging these can be prosecuted.

If you have a concern about a tree, then you must, in the first instance, contact the relevant department who manage the land where the tree is growing.

The following information provides guidance on which department to contact.

Be aware: not all woodlands within the borough of Luton are owned by us.

Contacts for reporting an issue with a tree

Select the appropiate email address from this list, depending on the issue you want to report.

• Public open spaces and woodlands: parks@luton.gov.uk
• Housing land including trees within the gardens of tenanted properties: GenericHousingOffice@luton.gov.uk 
• Trees in highways, footpaths or grass verges: parks@luton.gov.uk
• Trees served with a TPO, in a conservation area or covered by a planning condition: BCDecCon@luton.gov.uk
• Trees causing structural damage to properties: insurance@luton.gov.uk

We have our own professional tree maintenance team who carries out all appropriate tree care and maintenance to trees owned by us.

Advice for private tree owners

Always contact the local authority to ensure that the trees are not:

• protected by a TPO
• subject to planning constraints or that the tree is
• within a conservation area

Tips for tree maintenance

If you are undertaking tree maintenance yourself:

• always employ a suitable trained professional tree surgeon, who is covered by public liability insurance - always ask for proof of insurance
• never employ house callers or leaflet droppers claiming to be professional tree surgeons
• reputable tree surgeons will always have some form of professional identification and qualification proof - always ask to see it
• reputable tree surgeons can be found in the Yellow Pages, or contact us for further advice