Tree Surgeon in Kingston
Looking for a tree surgeon in Kingston? Treemedic are based in Hersham, around fifteen minutes down the road, and we’ve been working across Kingston upon Thames, Surbiton, New Malden, Norbiton and Coombe for years. Our NPTC qualified climbers handle pruning, felling, stump grinding, hedge cutting and emergency call-outs, and all of it is done to BS3998.
We know the borough. We know which streets you can’t get a chipper down, which areas need a parking permit sorted before we turn up, and which parts of Kingston are covered by conservation area rules that catch people out. Free quotes as standard and we’ll tell you straight if a tree doesn’t need the work you think it does.
Give us a call on 07522 167 197 and we’ll come out and take a look.
Our Tree Surgery Services in Kingston
We cover the full range of tree surgery and arboricultural work in Kingston including:
- Pruning and crown reduction, thinning and balancing a crown so more light gets through.
- Felling and removals, taken down in controlled sections in tight town gardens.
- Stump grinding to around 300mm deep, with the grindings put back in the hole.
- Hedge cutting on a regular cycle for houses and commercial sites.
- Planting trees and hedges, and giving them the care they need early on.
- 24/7 call-outs for trees that have come down or look like they might.
We follow BS3998 on every job and stick to what the council requires.
Why Choose Treemedic as Your Tree Surgeon in Kingston
Kingston is a mixed bag for tree work and every job needs a different approach. You’ve got the Victorian and Edwardian terraces around Norbiton and Canbury with narrow back gardens and no rear access, where everything comes out through the house or over the roof. You’ve got the larger detached properties up in Coombe and Kingston Hill with mature cedars, oaks and limes that were planted a hundred years ago and now need proper management rather than a quick tidy-up. And you’ve got the riverside properties along the Thames where willows, poplars and alders sit right on the bank.
We talk you through the plan before we start and leave the place clean when we go, not with a heap of brash on the drive until Tuesday. A single overgrown conifer in a Surbiton back garden gets the same team and the same care as a crown reduction on a protected oak in Coombe.
Tree Work Challenges Specific to Kingston
Restricted access and parking
A lot of Kingston is terraced or semi-detached with no side access. That means rigging timber over the roof, taking brash through the house on boards and sheets, or hand-balling everything to the front. It’s slower work and we price it fairly up front rather than turning up and adding to the bill. Large parts of central Kingston, Norbiton and Surbiton sit inside Controlled Parking Zones. If we can’t get the chipper and tipper close to the property the whole job takes longer, so we’ll usually ask you about parking when we quote. In some cases a visitor permit or a suspended bay through the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames is best sorted in advance.
Mature trees on small plots
Kingston has a lot of large trees in gardens that were never sized for them. Leylandii hedges thirty feet tall, sycamores self-seeded against a boundary wall, silver birch planted too close to the foundations in the seventies. We deal with a lot of neighbour disputes over overhanging branches and light loss. You’re within your rights to cut back to the boundary line, but there’s a right way and a wrong way to do it, and cutting back hard on one side can destabilise a tree. We’ll advise on what’s sensible rather than just doing whatever gets you off the phone with the neighbour.
Riverside and high water table
Gardens along the Thames and around Canbury Gardens can sit waterlogged for part of the year. Willows and poplars thrive in it, but bigger trees lose their grip in soft ground, and storms bring more of them down here than elsewhere in the borough. A mature tree by the river that has begun to lean, or has ground lifting on one side, needs looking at.
Tree Preservation Orders and Conservation Areas in Kingston
This catches out more Kingston homeowners than anything else, and it’s worth reading before you book anyone.
Conservation areas. Kingston has a lot of them, including Kingston Old Town, Coombe Hill, Coombe Wood, Kingston Hill, Riverside North, Surbiton Hill Park and Old Malden. If your tree has a trunk diameter over 75mm measured at 1.5m from the ground and it sits in a conservation area, you must give the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames six weeks’ written notice before any work. That applies to pruning as well as felling. The council can then decide to place a TPO on it within that window.
You can check this for your own address on Kingston Council’s list of conservation areas.
Tree Preservation Orders. Any tree surgeon in Kingston should check whether your tree is protected before quoting. If the tree is already covered by a TPO you need formal consent from the council before touching it, and that takes longer than the six-week conservation area notice. Working on a protected tree without consent is a criminal offence. Felling or destroying one can mean an unlimited fine, and other unauthorised work, such as pruning, up to £2,500.
Checking protection is part of our quote. If an application is needed we’ll write and submit it for you, with the arboricultural reasoning the council actually wants rather than a one-liner that gets turned down. We do this often for Kingston, Elmbridge and Richmond and know how each council likes it laid out.
If a tree is dangerous there’s an exemption for urgent work, but you still need to notify the council and you need evidence that the danger was real. Don’t let anyone tell you they can just take it down and sort the paperwork later.
Oak Processionary Moth in Kingston
OPM is well established in Kingston, especially around Kingston Vale, Coombe, Kingston Hill and anywhere bordering Richmond Park. Between May and July, look for caterpillars moving nose-to-tail up oak trunks and white silky nests at the branch joints. Keep children and dogs away, and don’t try to remove a nest yourself. Give us a call and we’ll come and identify it first.
Removal is something we’re Lantra-trained for. More on OPM and how we remove it safely →
Kingston, in Short
- About fifteen minutes from our Hersham base, and we already know how the parking zones work
- Conservation areas from Coombe Hill to Surbiton, so we check whether your tree’s protected before quoting
- Hedges, stumps, pruning and full removals, cut to BS3998
- Storm damage and fallen trees dealt with any time, day or night
- NPTC qualified climbers, full insurance, and certificates sent ahead if you ask
- Free quotes in writing, with nothing added on the day
Tree Surgeon in Kingston: Common Questions
Do I need permission to cut down a tree in Kingston?
Possibly. If the tree has a Tree Preservation Order you need formal council consent. If it’s in a conservation area and the trunk is over 75mm diameter at 1.5m height, you must give the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames six weeks’ notice. We check this for you before quoting.
How much does a tree surgeon cost in Kingston?
It depends on the size of the tree, the access, and what’s underneath it. A straightforward hedge trim in a Surbiton back garden is a very different job to dismantling a mature oak over a conservatory in Coombe. We quote free and in writing, and the price we give is the price you pay.
Can I cut back my neighbour’s overhanging branches?
Yes, you’re legally entitled to cut back to the boundary line, and you should offer the cuttings back to your neighbour. If the tree has a TPO you need the council’s consent first, and if it’s in a conservation area you need to give six weeks’ notice, even for overhanging growth. We’ll check before we start.
Do you do emergency tree work in Kingston?
Yes, 24/7. Storm damage, fallen trees blocking access, branches down on a roof or car. Call 07522 167 197 any time.
Are you insured?
Yes, public liability and employers’ liability both, and we’ll send the certificates before we start if you’d like them. It’s worth asking the same of anyone you get a price from.
What happens to the waste?
We clear it away. Treemedic Ltd is a registered waste carrier (CBDL644967) and it all goes to licensed sites. Want some firewood out of it? Ask at the quote and we’ll leave logs cut to size.
How long does it take to get a quote?
Usually within a few days. We do quote runs across Kingston most weeks, so we’ll fit you in on the next one.
Areas We Cover in and Around Kingston
We work across the whole Royal Borough and the surrounding area, including Kingston upon Thames town centre, Norbiton, Canbury, Kingston Hill, Kingston Vale, Coombe, Surbiton, Berrylands, Tolworth, New Malden, Old Malden, Chessington, Hook and Malden Rushett.
We also cover neighbouring areas including Richmond, Wimbledon, Thames Ditton, East Molesey, Walton on Thames and Hersham.
Not sure if we cover your postcode? Give us a ring and we’ll tell you straight away.
Contact Your Local Tree Surgeon in Kingston
Give us a ring on
07522 167 197 or 020 3488 8694
for a free no-obligation quote.
Or fill in the form below and we’ll get back to you, usually the same day.