Tree Surgeon in Surbiton
Looking for a tree surgeon in Surbiton? We’re based in Hersham, just over the borough line in Elmbridge, and we work across Surbiton, Berrylands, Tolworth and Long Ditton.
Surbiton is mostly Victorian and Edwardian villas, Art Deco blocks and interwar semis, on London Clay with gravel down by the river. It also has eleven conservation areas, more than most people realise, and that shapes a lot of what we do here.
Crown reduction, deadwooding, felling, stump grinding, hedge cutting and 24/7 emergency call-outs. BS3998 standards, NPTC qualified, fully insured, free written quotes.
Our Tree Surgery Services in Surbiton
- Tree Pruning & Crown Reduction – Improve shape, light, and safety.
- Tree Felling & Removals – Safe dismantling in confined spaces.
- Stump Grinding – Stumps ground out below ground level and the hole backfilled.
- Hedge Cutting & Maintenance – Regular trimming for neat boundaries.
- Emergency Tree Work – 24/7 call-out for storm-damaged or fallen trees.
Your Local Tree Surgeons in Surbiton
Eleven Conservation Areas, and Plenty of Big Old Trees
Kingston’s conservation areas in Surbiton are St Andrew’s Square, Southborough, Claremont Road, Surbiton Hill Park, Oakhill, Victoria Avenue, Christ Church, Cadogan Road, Surbiton Town Centre, Riverside South and Fishponds Park.
The council’s appraisal for Southborough describes its trees as a particularly special feature of the area, naming sycamore, horse chestnut, silver birch, oak and London plane, with the most significant already under Tree Preservation Orders.
What that means for your tree
In a conservation area Kingston protects any tree with a trunk of 75mm or more at 1.5m. You give notice through the Planning Portal and wait six weeks before starting. Removing deadwood doesn’t need permission, but almost everything else does, and unauthorised work is a criminal offence. GOV.UK has a short guide to applying for work on a protected tree.
Kingston’s online TPO map is only indicative, so for a definite answer you have to ask their tree officer. We check before we quote and submit the notice or application for you.
Flats, Terraces and Tight Access
A lot of Surbiton work is in back gardens with no side access, behind terraces or blocks of flats. That means bringing everything out through the house on boards and sheets, or rigging timber over the roof, and it takes longer than an open-access job.
We’ll tell you exactly what’s involved when we quote, rather than finding out on the day.
Managing agents and residents’ committees
If you look after a block, we can quote for the trees across the whole site and plan the work around residents, parking and bin stores.
Street Trees vs Your Trees
Kingston Council looks after around 12,000 street trees, inspecting each one every three years and pruning on a three-year cycle ward by ward. London plane and lime need the most pruning.
Trees in private gardens are the owner’s responsibility. If a council tree outside your house has a problem, report it through Kingston’s online map. For a dangerous council tree, call Kingston on 020 8547 5000 in office hours, or 020 8547 5800 out of hours.
If you think a council tree is damaging your property, Kingston will want you to go through your insurer first.
Oak Processionary Moth in Surbiton
Oak processionary moth is present in Kingston and still spreading. The council surveys its own oaks every summer, but on private land it’s the owner’s responsibility. Fishponds Park has some substantial oaks, and so do plenty of the older gardens around it.
Between roughly May and July, look for caterpillars moving nose-to-tail up and down oak trunks, and white silken nests where branches meet the stem. The hairs cause rashes, eye irritation and breathing problems in people, dogs and horses, and old nests stay hazardous long after the caterpillars have gone.
Don’t try to remove a nest yourself and never pressure-wash one, as that spreads the hairs. Keep children and dogs away from the tree, photograph it from a safe distance and send it to us. Identification is free, and we’re Lantra trained for removal.
Surbiton, in Short
- Local to Surbiton, based just over the borough line in Hersham
- Eleven conservation areas: we check before we quote and handle the Planning Portal notice
- Used to tight access through houses and over roofs
- Quotes for whole sites for managing agents and residents’ committees
- Lantra trained for OPM removal
- Fully insured, NPTC qualified, free written quotes
Tree Surgeon in Surbiton: Common Questions
Do I need permission for tree work in Surbiton?
Quite possibly. Surbiton has eleven conservation areas, where trees over 75mm trunk diameter at 1.5m need six weeks’ notice to Kingston, and any tree with a TPO needs consent. Deadwood removal is exempt. We check before quoting.
Who do I contact about the street tree outside my house?
Kingston Council. Report it through their online map, or call 020 8547 5000 if it’s dangerous (020 8547 5800 out of hours). We only work on privately owned trees.
We don’t have side access. Can you still do the job?
Yes. We bring everything through the house on boards and sheets, or rig it over the roof if that’s safer. It takes a bit longer, and we’ll explain how we’ll do it when we quote.
How much does a tree surgeon in Surbiton cost?
It depends on the tree, the access and what’s underneath it. A hedge trim is a very different job to dismantling a big oak beside a house. Quotes are free and in writing, and the price we quote is the price you pay.
Are you insured?
Fully: public liability and employers’ liability, with certificates sent before we start if you’d like them. Ask any tree surgeon for theirs.
What happens to the waste?
It goes with us. All arisings are handled in accordance with our Duty of Care under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and transferred only to appropriately licensed facilities. Timber can be left cut to size for firewood if you want it. Just say when we quote.
Areas We Cover in and Around Surbiton
We cover all of Surbiton, including the town centre, Ewell Road, Ditton Road, Southborough, Berrylands and Tolworth, along with Long Ditton and Hinchley Wood, Thames Ditton and Kingston.
Across the river and the borough line we’re in Hersham, Esher, East Molesey, Wimbledon and Richmond every week.
Not sure if we cover your postcode? Give us a ring and we’ll tell you straight away.
Contact Your Local Tree Surgeon in Surbiton
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.