Taking a tree out in South Birmingham is often more about permission than height. Ten of the city's conservation areas sit in this patch, from Moseley and Selly Park to Kings Norton and Austin Village. In Bournville, a private landlord adds its own approval on top. The trees themselves range from self-sown sycamore at the end of a Kings Heath terrace to big copper beeches and cedars in Selly Park.
Branch and Bramble doesn't do the work. We pass your enquiry to one local tree surgeon who covers B13, B14, B28, B29, B30, B31 and B38, and they confirm a fixed price with you directly.
What tree removal costs in South Birmingham
Prices are by height and include cutting up and taking away all the wood and brash.
| Tree height | Indicative price | Stump ground out at the same visit |
|---|---|---|
| Small (under 5m) | £280–£380 | add £70 |
| Medium (5–10m) | £480–£720 | add £100 |
| Large (10–15m) | £850–£1,400 | add £150 |
| Over 15m | Free survey | Priced on survey |
A conifer, cherry or sycamore in a Hall Green or Northfield semi, or a self-sown tree at the end of a Stirchley garden, is usually a small or medium job. The large and survey jobs cluster in Moseley and Selly Park, where Victorian and Edwardian villas have trees that are older than the houses next door. The tree removal cost guide has a worked example for a Moseley sycamore and a Kings Heath terrace.
What pushes the price up here
- Terraces with no side gate. In Kings Heath, Stirchley and Cotteridge, every log and branch often has to go out through the house. Expect around 15% more for access through the house, or for a tree more than 20 metres from the van.
- Big trees over buildings. A mature beech or cedar close to a villa in Selly Park has to come down in small pieces on ropes. Any tree touching or overhanging a building is priced after a free visit.
- A platform or crane in the road. Birmingham City Council requires a highways licence for lifting equipment on a public road. The specialist arranges it and builds it into the price.
- Several trees at once. Two or three trees cost about 1.8 times the price of one, so a row of conifers is cheaper done in one visit.
- Keeping the logs. If you keep the timber for a stove, the price drops by about £75.
Who has to agree before the tree comes down
Birmingham City Council. In Moseley, St Agnes, School Road, Selly Park, Selly Park Avenues, Bournville Village, Bournville Tenants, Kings Norton, Northfield Old Village and Austin Village, you give the council six weeks' notice before felling any tree with a trunk over 75mm across at 1.5m high. A tree with its own TPO needs formal consent, which the council says it decides within 6 to 8 weeks. Check the TPO map first.
Selly Park is worth a closer look. The council's 2022 appraisal counts more than twenty TPOs in the conservation area, seven of them in Upland Road alone, including a monkey puzzle. When you give notice there, the appraisal says you must set out exactly what work is planned and why.
The Bournville Village Trust. If your home is inside the Trust's Scheme of Management, its 2024 estate design guide says felling any tree needs its approval, and that approval will be refused unless the tree is dead, dying or dangerous. A replacement tree must be planted. The Trust will consider removing large non-native trees such as leylandii and other conifers, and asks for an arboricultural report if you want to remove a tree that looks healthy. The Trust charges for a tree works application; its price list has the current fee. Where the tree is also in the conservation area, you go to the council first, send the Trust a copy, then wait for the Trust's decision.
The Forestry Commission. You won't need a felling licence. The Forestry Commission's guidance exempts trees in gardens, though the council's TPO and conservation area rules still apply.
Clay, big trees and the wood
Much of Moseley sits on Mercia Mudstone, which the council's Moseley appraisal describes as giving a fairly clayish soil. If a large, thirsty tree stands close to an older house on clay, ask the specialist whether an engineer should look first. Our guide to tree roots and house foundations explains why.
The wood leaves with the specialist as a registered waste carrier. Birmingham's tips don't let commercial vehicles in. Kings Norton, on Lifford Lane, is being rebuilt, and its operator says vans and trailers aren't allowed while the work goes on, so even a hired van of logs won't get in there. The council's garden waste collection is also suspended, so there's no brown bin for the brash.
What the job involves
- Permissions. The specialist checks the TPO map and conservation area boundary, and in Bournville whether the Trust's approval is needed. Notice or consent goes in before any date is fixed.
- Dismantling. A roped climber removes the side branches, then lowers the stem in sections, clear of the house, the shed and next door's fence.
- Carrying out. In a terrace, boards and dust sheets go down through the hall, and the timber leaves in manageable pieces.
- Stump and replanting. The stump can be ground at the same visit. In Bournville, leave room for the replacement tree the Trust requires.
A healthy tree that has simply got too big may not need to come out at all. A crown reduction is often easier to agree, and if only the stump is left from older work, see stump grinding.
What to photograph for a quote
Good photos usually mean a fixed price without a visit. More photo tips.
- The whole thing, with your house or fence in shot for scale
- The base or ground level and what’s around it: walls, sheds, beds
- The route in from the road: side gate, steps, the path through
Questions about tree removal in South Birmingham
Will the Bournville Village Trust let me fell a healthy tree?
Usually not. The Trust's 2024 design guide says it will refuse removal unless the tree is dead, dying or dangerous, and it wants an arboricultural report for any tree that looks healthy. Large leylandii and other non-native conifers are the main exception it will consider, and a replacement tree must go in.
How many trees in Selly Park have their own TPO?
The council's 2022 appraisal counts more than twenty Tree Preservation Orders in the Selly Park conservation area, seven of them in Upland Road. Every other tree there over 75mm across is still covered by the six-week notice rule, so check the TPO map and give notice before booking anyone.
Can I take logs from a felled tree to Kings Norton tip?
In a car, yes, with a booking and proof of a Birmingham address, because the site takes wood. Vans and trailers aren't allowed at Kings Norton while it's being redeveloped. If the logs need a van, try Tyseley on James Road, or have the tree surgeon take them.
Does felling a tree in Kings Norton conservation area need six weeks' notice even if it's dead?
Not normally. The council says dead or dangerous trees are an exception to the notice rule, but that a tree surgeon should usually send it a five-day emergency notice. Keep photos of the tree's condition, because you may have to show the work was necessary.