Tree removal in Sutton Coldfield & Four Oaks

In Sutton Coldfield, size is rarely the only question when a tree has to come out. Many of the trees people want removed here are big, old and close to the house: oak, lime, beech, Scots pine and cedar planted when Four Oaks and Little Aston were laid out, and now taller than the roof. Plenty of them sit in a conservation area or have their own Tree Preservation Order. The patch is also split between three councils, each with its own rules and forms.

Branch and Bramble doesn't do the work. We pass your enquiry to one local tree surgeon who covers B72 to B76 and WS9, and they confirm a fixed price with you directly.

What tree removal costs in Sutton Coldfield

Prices are by height and include cutting up and taking away all the wood and brash.

These are the same indicative ranges we use across the West Midlands. What's different in Sutton Coldfield is the mix of jobs. Far more trees here are over 15 metres, so a bigger share of removals in Four Oaks, Little Aston and the roads around Sutton Park are priced after a free survey rather than from photos. A 1970s conifer or an ornamental cherry in a Boldmere or Wylde Green semi is usually a small or medium job. The tree removal cost guide has worked examples.

What pushes the price up here

• Long gardens. Four Oaks and Little Aston plots often run well over 30 metres. If the tree is more than 20 metres from where the van can park, or everything has to be carried through the house, expect around 15% on top.
• Big trees over buildings. A mature lime or oak hanging over a roof or conservatory has to come down in small sections on ropes. Any tree touching or overhanging a building is priced after a visit.
• Lifting equipment in the road. If a cherry picker or crane has to stand on the road or pavement, Birmingham City Council requires a highways licence for lifting equipment on a public road. The specialist arranges it and includes it in the price.
• More than one tree. Two or three trees cost about 1.8 times the price of one, so a line of old boundary conifers is cheaper done in one visit.
• Keeping the logs. Oak, beech and ash make good firewood. Having it cut and stacked for you takes about £75 off.

Which council to ask before a tree comes down

The council that covers your address decides the rules, and here that doesn't always follow the postcode. The legal duty to check is yours as the owner. A good tree surgeon will check with you and can help with the form.

Birmingham (most of B72 to B76). Four Oaks, Anchorage Road and High Street are conservation areas. Birmingham City Council needs six weeks' written notice before work on any tree there with a trunk over 75mm across, measured 1.5m above the ground. You give notice on the council's tree works consent form or in a letter with the same information. For a tree with its own TPO, you apply for consent through the Planning Portal. There's no fee. A council tree officer assesses the application, and the council says it decides within 6 to 8 weeks. Consent lasts two years. Check the council's TPO map first.

Little Aston (Lichfield District). Little Aston became a conservation area in October 1999, largely because of its trees: Scots and Corsican pine, sweet and horse chestnut, oak, birch and sycamore, along lanes lined with rhododendron. Lichfield District Council needs at least six weeks' notice before work on any tree there over 75mm in diameter, and it runs its own protected trees map. It does take people to court. In December 2019 a Little Aston homeowner was fined £1,750, plus £3,000 in costs, for felling an oak and two Scots pines in the conservation area.

Aldridge, Walsall Wood and Streetly (Walsall). Walsall has more than 900 TPOs and 18 conservation areas, including Aldridge. Instead of an online map, it publishes a TPO register that it updates every quarter. Its tree officers say they can usually tell you within minutes whether a tree is protected if you describe where it is. One form covers both TPO and conservation-area trees.

Our guide to trees in conservation areas covers the general rules.

Dead, dangerous and storm-damaged trees

Birmingham doesn't normally require six weeks' notice for a tree that is dead or dangerous. Your tree surgeon will usually send the council a five-day emergency notice instead. If a protected tree is damaged in a storm, you can do the minimum work needed to make it safe, then tell the council as soon as possible. Keep photographs or a tree surgeon's written report, because it's up to you to show the work was necessary, and you may be asked to plant a replacement. If a tree is on or near a power line, keep away and call 105.

What the job involves

1. Checks. The specialist confirms which council covers you, whether the tree is protected, and whether there are nesting birds or signs of bats.
2. Dismantling. A roped climber takes off the side branches, then lowers the main stem in sections, so nothing lands on the house, fence or greenhouse. On a long garden, boards go down along the route to the van.
3. The waste. Branches are chipped and the timber is cut into logs. It all leaves with a registered waste carrier unless you keep the logs, because council tips such as Norris Way don't accept commercial vehicles.
4. The stump. If you ask for it, the stump is ground out at the same visit, which costs less than booking stump grinding separately.

A small or medium tree is usually a half-day or one-day job. A healthy tree that has simply outgrown its garden may not need to come out at all: a crown reduction is often easier to agree with the council in a conservation area.