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Information on trees in Waltham Forest, including how to report a dangerous tree.
We are responsible for all trees in the borough's public spaces. This includes trees on streets, in parks, and on Waltham Forest Housing properties.
We are not responsible for trees in private gardens unless they are protected by a Tree Preservation Order or situated within a conservation area.
We can, however, give advice on privately owned trees.
Read the Waltham Forest Tree Strategy 2017-2022 (Word)
We prune and maintain street trees across the borough.
Our current schedule of work is:
1. 2020 to 2021 – Cann Hall, Cathall, Leyton, Grove Green, Leytonstone, Forest
2. 2021 to 2022 – Wood Street, Hoe Street, High street, Lea Bridge, Markhouse
3. 2022 to 2023 – Hale End and Highams Park, Chapel End, William Morris, Higham Hill, Valley
4. 2023 to 2024 – Hatch Lane, Larkswood, Endlebury, Chingford Green
If trees are diseased, dying or pose a danger to public safety, we may fell them.
We will plant replacement trees in the autumn/winter months of the financial year the trees were removed.
Call 020 8496 3000 and give us as much information as you can. For example:
Once we receive your request:
This process can take up to 8 weeks, depending how busy we are.
We get many requests for new trees and always welcome ideas for where to plant them. However, we have a limited budget for this, so we must ensure that new trees go where they're needed.
We usually put new trees in places identified as ‘strategic priority areas’ for tree planting. This includes:
We will acknowledge receipt of your request, but will not keep your details for GDPR reasons. However we will add your idea to our list of potential tree locations.
We will inspect all suggested locations to check if they are suitable for tree planting.
It is council policy to only remove trees in the following circumstances:
Any alleged damage to personal property caused by a Council tree is dealt with by the Council’s Insurance department and should be emailed to insurance-section@walthamforest.gov.uk
The evidence requirements are determined by the CAVAT value of the tree/s implicated which can be calculated using the quick method.
Cavat values fall into three categories: low being less than £7,672, medium being from £7,672 to £24,858, and high being anything greater than £24,858. As a general rule, more than 90% of trees implicated in insurance claims have a value of more than £8,000, and a minimum trunk circumference of 60 cms
Claims against trees with medium to high Cavat values require submission of the following evidence for processing to commence.
Once we have received all the evidence, a report will be produced, and mitigation works carried out within 4-6 months
The Council has no jurisdiction over private trees on private land because they are the responsibility of the private landowner upon which such a tree is located.
Every tree owner has a ‘common law’ duty of care to ensure their trees do not pose an unacceptable risk to other people on or adjacent to their land. The landowner must take reasonable care to regularly inspect their trees and undertake essential work such as removing deadwood where it presents a risk to persons or property.
The tree owner also has a duty under the Occupiers Liability Acts to take reasonable steps to ensure visitors or trespassers on their land are safe. In theory, this means that if a tree falls and causes damage to a person or property then the tree owner may be liable, however in practice a landowner will usually only be liable if they are found to be negligent.
If you are in doubt about the condition of a tree, you should seek advice from a qualified Tree Surgeon or Arboricultural Consultant, that may be found at the following websites:
The best way to deal with a dangerous tree on neighbouring land is to write to the tree owner as soon as possible politely expressing any concerns you have and asking them to have the tree checked by an arboriculturist.
If you still can’t reach a satisfactory conclusion then it may be helpful to ask a third party who is known to both of you to mediate.
As a last resort, it may be possible to obtain a court injunction requiring the owner to deal with the tree, or in limited circumstances, we may be able to use discretionary powers under the Local Government Miscellaneous Provisions Act 1976 – Sections 23 & 24 [Dangerous Trees] in respect of dangerous trees located on private land.
This legislation is only used as a ‘last resort’ where it has been proven that;
If such as request were submitted to the Council, we would carry out a site visit and establish whether the relevant circumstances apply and if necessary, instigate the appropriate action.
If we considered the tree(s) to be imminently dangerous, a Notice would be served on the owner or occupier of the land upon which the tree is situated, and would
Below are listed a few tree contractors that work in Waltham Forest;
Telephone:0345 873 1500
Tel: 01992 572 717
Tel: 01277 525150
A more extensive list can be found at the following;
You are advised to obtain at least three written estimates and to insist on seeing a current receipt in respect of insurance premiums.