The essential “Blueprint” for construction. We provide the BS 5837 compliant Method Statements required to discharge planning conditions, ensure site compliance, and protect your valuable tree assets.
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The definitive technical blueprint for construction near trees. We balance Tree Protection with Practical Building Reality to discharge your planning conditions and secure your project's legal commencement.
An Arboricultural Method Statement (AMS) is a forensic document that describes precisely how construction activity must be executed on or near a site with trees to ensure zero damage to retained specimens.
Your Local Planning Authority (LPA)—whether in Surrey, Sussex, or London—will mandate this document before they discharge planning conditions. Without a council-approved AMS and its accompanying Tree Protection Plan (TPP), you cannot legally commence site works.
Research confirms that 90% of construction-related tree mortality is the result of soil compaction and root severance within the Root Protection Area (RPA). Our AMS eliminates this risk by establishing an immutable Construction Exclusion Zone (CEZ).
Conflicts between tree preservation and site logistics are inevitable. Our AMS is built on the technical data established in your Tree Constraints Plan (TCP), designing practical solutions that allow site machinery to operate without violating exclusion zones.
We justify construction footprints through the lens of the Arboricultural Impact Assessment (AIA). Our AMS details specific 'No-Dig' engineering and load-bearing ground protection to facilitate building within influencing distance of high-value trees.
Discharging planning conditions often requires on-site professional oversight. We provide the mandatory Arboricultural Supervision to verify that the protection measures detailed in the AMS are correctly implemented for building control sign-off.
Using the VALID tree assessment method, we ensure the trees being protected in your Method Statement are structurally sound. We prevent you from spending a project's budget protecting specimens that should have been strategically removed.
The AMS serves as the primary technical manual for the construction phase, ensuring all contractors are informed of the spatial limitations and protective requirements mandated for the site.
The primary mechanism of any Arboricultural Method Statement is the establishment of the Construction Exclusion Zone (CEZ). This is a sanctioned area where all construction activity—including soil stripping, material storage, and plant movement—is strictly prohibited.
Soil compaction within a tree's root zone is often irreversible, destroying the soil structure and preventing essential oxygen diffusion to the roots. Our technical specifications for fencing and ground protection ensure these zones remain "site-sterile" throughout the build duration.
For complex urban sites where a total exclusion zone isn't possible, we detail the specific Supervision Requirements needed to allow managed access without compromising the tree's health.
To satisfy your Local Planning Authority, our Method Statements include a forensic audit trail of all site activities:
"By providing a clear roadmap for site teams, we eliminate the risk of accidental breach and subsequent council stop-notices."
An AMS is typically requested as a Pre-Commencement Condition. You cannot legally begin site works, even with full planning permission, until the Local Planning Authority has approved the technical methodologies within this document.
Significant changes require a Section 73 Variation or a technical addendum. We provide the expertise to update your Impact Assessment data to reflect new construction requirements without losing project momentum.
Accidental encroachment into the Construction Exclusion Zone can lead to immediate Stop Notices and legal fines. Implementing mandatory Professional Supervision ensures site teams adhere to the approved plan throughout the build.
From our strategic bases in West Molesey and Crawley, Arbor Cultural provides elite Arboricultural consultancy for developers, architects, and private estates across every major hub in the Southeast.
Unbiased, technical expertise trusted by developers, architects, and private householders across the South East.
