Street trees Management and Maintenance

Hounslow Highways, on behalf of the London Borough of Hounslow (the Authority), is contracted to deliver all aspects of street tree management and maintenance activities on all adopted streets where the borough is the Highway Authority.

If you would like to find out more information about how we manage the borough’s street trees, please find Hounslow Highways’ Tree Strategy here.

We undertake a survey of the borough’s street trees once every three years. The schedule, which is arranged by ward, can be seen here. Please find some of our most frequently asked questions at the bottom of this page.

Arboricultural Management and Maintenance Services

The provision of Arboricultural Management and Maintenance Services includes:

Providing and maintaining an appropriate level of street trees at the level of current stock, as amended from time to time, to meet the green agenda of the Authority.
Ensuring street trees comply with current and relevant legislation regarding safety, serviceability, sustainability, and biodiversity.
Integrating street tree planting and its maintenance management and care programme into the design of streets to maximise benefits and avoid potential conflicts with mobility and third parties, as referenced within the Streetscene Design Guide (SDG as amended).
Taking measures to avoid the misuse of the local urban environment by taking better account of and providing for the needs of the local community.
Providing seasonal street tree planting proposals.

Street Trees

As of January 1, 2013, the number of street trees taken over by Hounslow Highways was deemed to be 11,198 street trees, owned by the Authority, as declared in the Annual Landscape Policy and Operational Plan. This number has significantly increased to 12,669 street trees as of January 2025 due to a combination of activities:

The London Mayor’s Street Tree Initiative, where the Authority received capital funding to plant street trees.
Hounslow Highways, as part of its Green Agenda, sponsored the planting of street trees, representing one tree per employee.

However, if you have a query that is not addressed by the above information, please report the issue via FixMyStreet here.

Duty to Consult

The Environment Act 2021, Section 115, inserted Section 96A into the Highways Act 1980, imposing a duty on Local Highway Authorities (LHAs) to consult on the removal of street trees – the ‘Duty to Consult’. This legislation came into force on December 1, 2023, and Hounslow Highways has implemented the above change in law as of April 2024. Duty to Consult

Overhanging Vegetation on the Public Highway

In accordance with the Highways Act 1980 (Section 154), Hounslow Highways will require, by notice, the owner/occupier of a tree that overhangs the public highway in a dangerous or obstructive way to lop or cut it to remove the cause of the danger, obstruction, or interference. This action must be taken within 14 days of the date of service of the notice. If the person on whom the notice is served fails to comply, Hounslow Highways will carry out the work and recover all expenses reasonably incurred.

Similarly, if a tree is dead, damaged, or diseased and is liable to cause danger on the public highway, Hounslow Highways will require it to be removed by notice. If that notice is not complied with, Hounslow Highways will remove the offending vegetation and recover expenses accordingly.

If you would like to report a tree or vegetation overhanging a road or footway/footpath, please submit an enquiry online [here].

Tree Pruning or Removal Exclusions

Hounslow Highways will not pollard, prune, or remove trees for the following reasons:

Interference with satellite, TV, or media reception
Touching telephone wires
Falling leaves, fruit, pollen, honeydew, or bird fouling
Where a tree is considered to be too large
Obstruction of view
Lack of/too much light
Because someone is willing to pay
The perceived risk that a tree may damage a building
Trees located in or on private property
Trees in parks, public open spaces, schools, or other Authority-owned land such as Hounslow Housing areas. In these instances, please contact the Customer Services team at the London Borough of Hounslow on 0208 583 2000 or visit the Council’s website.

Lime Trees

Lime trees tend to produce epicormic growth at their base during the summer months. Epicormic growth consists of growth shoots from the bottom of trees. This can begin to obstruct public highways or footways, so we remove this growth from street trees twice a year, during May to June and then from September to October. A list of lime trees on this programme can be found by clicking here.

Street Tree Planting List

Please find Hounslow Highways’ Street Tree Planting List 2023 – 2024 by clicking here. The list includes 442 trees planted during the tree planting season, which runs from November to March of each year.

If you see a newly planted tree in your street, we would love for you to get involved and water the tree, as that will help it establish better. If you would like to find out more information about how you can get involved in watering the street trees, please click here to find details of Hounslow Highways’ Tree Watering Initiative.

No Mow May

In support of environmental sustainability, Hounslow Highways takes part in the ‘No Mow May’ initiative, referred to as ‘Natural Summer’. Throughout this time, only the edges of designated verges are trimmed, enabling the central sections to thrive naturally. This approach enhances biodiversity by offering habitats for numerous plant species and pollinators, fostering a healthier ecosystem in the borough. The locations of the selected verges are listed here.

Street trees Management and Maintenance

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