Tree Surgeon in Twickenham
Looking for a tree surgeon in Twickenham? Treemedic cover Twickenham, East Twickenham, St Margarets, Strawberry Hill, Whitton and Twickenham Green.
Twickenham is one of the most heavily protected places in London for tree work. There are eleven conservation areas covering the town and its immediate surroundings, from Twickenham Riverside and Marble Hill Park through to Strawberry Hill, Twickenham Green and the St Margaret’s Estate. A very large share of Twickenham property sits inside one of them.
Tree pruning, crown reduction, felling, stump grinding, hedge cutting, Section 211 and TPO applications, OPM removal and 24/7 emergency call-outs. All to BS3998 standards, NPTC qualified, fully insured, free written quotes.
Call 07522 167 197.
Our Tree Surgery Services in Twickenham
We cover the full range of tree surgery and arboricultural work in Twickenham including:
- Tree Pruning & Crown Reduction – Improve structure, light and shape.
- Tree Felling & Removals – Safe dismantling and removal, even in confined spaces.
- Stump Grinding – Clear unsightly stumps quickly and prevent regrowth.
- Hedge Cutting & Maintenance – Precise trimming and shaping for gardens and commercial sites.
- Tree & Hedgerow Planting – Enhancing landscapes and supporting biodiversity.
- Emergency Tree Work – 24/7 call-outs for storm damage or fallen trees.
All our work follows BS3998 tree work standards, ensuring safety, compliance, and quality on every project.
Twickenham's Trees, and What They Need
The riverside and Marble Hill
The stretch of the Middlesex bank from Marble Hill Park down to Radnor Gardens carries some of the finest parkland trees in west London — mature plane, lime, horse chestnut, cedar and sweet chestnut, much of it 18th century estate planting that ended up in gardens. Montpelier Row and the villa plots along the river have trees that predate most of the housing around them.
Wet ground
The Thames curves twice through Twickenham, and the low ground either side holds water for months of the year. Willow, poplar, alder and crack willow along the bank sit on root plates working with far less anchorage than the size of the tree suggests. We see more windthrow along here after storms than anywhere else in the borough.
Twickenham Green and the older streets
The Green is what’s left of a 175-acre common, and the Victorian and Edwardian development around it has mature garden trees on plots that were never sized for them. Tight access, no rear entry on a lot of it, and everything coming out through the house or rigged over the roof.
Strawberry Hill and the villa gardens
Larger plots with substantial specimen trees, and a conservation area that exists partly because of the landscape setting rather than just the buildings.
Whitton and the newer roads
Heavy post-war planting of cherry, birch, conifer and ornamentals, most of it now well past what the gardens can carry. Leylandii that started as a screen and is now thirty feet, birch three metres from a bay window, cherries with basal decay.
The honest bit
On a mature Twickenham garden tree, the wrong work can’t be undone. A hard reduction on a cedar or a plane destroys the form permanently and often triggers decline, and there’s no buying the shape back.
We’ll tell you when the right answer is smaller than the one you asked for — sometimes that’s “this doesn’t need reducing, it needs deadwooding and a re-inspection in three years.” Smaller invoice for us, better outcome for you. Ryan has over a decade of climbing behind him and has worked mature trees across the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Scandinavia.
Eleven Conservation Areas Cover Twickenham
The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames has 85 conservation areas — more than any other London borough — and Twickenham carries a disproportionate share of them.
In and around the town:
- Twickenham Riverside (No. 8) — designated 14 January 1969, extended September 1982 and January 1991. Runs along the Middlesex bank from Marble Hill Park to Radnor Gardens, taking in the medieval village core around St Mary’s Church, the 18th century villa development along the river, Montpelier Row and Marble Hill Park itself
- Twickenham Green (No. 9) — covering the Green and its surrounding development
- Trafalgar Road (No. 10)
- Twickenham Park (No. 24) — designated 3 June 1976, extended 7 September 1982
- Queen’s Road (No. 47) — designated 14 June 1988
- Cole Park Road
- Cambridge Park, East Twickenham (No. 21)
- Richmond Road, East Twickenham (No. 66) — designated 23 September 2003
- St Margaret’s Estate (No. 19) — designated 2 November 1971, extended June 1988 and November 2005
- Strawberry Hill Road (No. 43) — designated 14 June 1988, extended 7 November 2005
- Strawberry Vale (No. 45) — designated 14 June 1988
If you own a tree in Twickenham, the sensible assumption is that it’s protected until you’ve checked otherwise.
What the rules actually say
In a conservation area
Trees are protected as part of the designation. Anyone wanting to cut down or prune one must give the council six weeks’ prior written notice using a Section 211 notice. The council then has six weeks to object. If they object, they must make a Tree Preservation Order to extend protection. If you hear nothing in that period, you can go ahead. It’s a fixed six weeks, not a minimum.
With a Tree Preservation Order
A full TPO application is required, covering felling, pruning and root pruning – the last one catches people out when they’re putting in an extension or a driveway.
Doing it without permission
This is a criminal offence, and the council states plainly that proceedings can be brought against the property owner as well as whoever carried out the works.
How to check
The council runs an online map service showing conservation area boundaries. TPO records are held at the Civic Centre — which is in Twickenham, at 44 York Street — or you can ring 020 8891 1411. If you’ve recently bought, the local land charges search should have flagged both.
What we do about it
We check protected status as part of every quote. If your tree needs a Section 211 notice or a TPO application, we write it and submit it for you, with the arboricultural justification the tree officer actually wants to see rather than a one-line request that gets refused or sat on. We do these regularly across Richmond, Elmbridge and Kingston.
If you’re working to a deadline, get the notice in early. Six weeks is fixed for a conservation area notice; TPO applications take longer and there’s no automatic approval at the end.
Match Days and Access
Anyone who lives in Twickenham knows what an England international does to the roads. For tree work it matters more than you’d think.
On a match day the area around the stadium, Whitton Road, Rugby Road and much of central Twickenham becomes impassable for a chipper and tipper. Parking restrictions are extended, roads close, and what would normally be a straightforward job turns into a day of trying to get kit within a hundred metres of the property.
We plan around it
When we quote we’ll check the fixture list against the dates, and we’ll say if a particular day is a bad idea rather than turning up and discovering it. If you’re within the event zone it’s usually worth booking mid-week.
The same applies to Twickenham Green during events, and to the riverside at Marble Hill in summer.
Oak Processionary Moth in Twickenham
Twickenham sits in the established area for Oak Processionary Moth. OPM was first found breeding in the UK in west London in 2006, and this part of the borough has been affected from early on.
Between roughly May and July, look for caterpillars moving nose-to-tail in single-file processions up and down an oak trunk, and white silken nests where branches meet the stem. The processional behaviour is the giveaway — nothing else native does it.
The hairs cause skin rashes, eye irritation and breathing difficulties in people, dogs and horses, and old nests stay hazardous for years after the caterpillars have gone.
What not to do. Don’t touch it. Don’t knock the nest down. Never pressure-wash a nest — that puts the hairs into the air across a wide area. Keep children and animals away from the tree and the ground beneath it, because the hairs accumulate in leaf litter.
We’re Lantra-trained in OPM removal and work in full respiratory protection with proper containment and controlled disposal. Photograph it from a safe distance and send it over — identification is free, and half the time it turns out to be harmless ermine moth or brown-tail.
Neighbouring Trees and Overhanging Branches
Richmond council’s own guidance is clear on this, and it’s worth knowing before you pick up a saw.
Your neighbour is under no obligation to prune or remove a tree just because branches overhang your boundary or it blocks your light.
You may remove branches encroaching over your boundary without asking permission — but you must not cross the boundary to do so.
Offer the material back. The council specifically advises asking whether your neighbour wants the branches and waste returned. If they don’t want it, disposal becomes your responsibility. Do not dispose of it over the fence.
But check protection before you start. If the tree has a TPO or sits in one of Twickenham’s eleven conservation areas, you need consent even for overhanging growth. Here that’s a real risk, not a technicality.
Cutting hard on one side can also destabilise a tree, which leaves you liable if it later fails. We’ll tell you what you’re entitled to do and what’s actually sensible — which aren’t always the same thing.
Emergency Tree Work in Twickenham
We run a 24-hour call-out with a staffed emergency line — you’ll speak to a person, not a voicemail.
Common call-outs here:
- Whole trees uprooted on saturated riverside ground between Marble Hill and Radnor Gardens
- Large limb failures from mature parkland and villa-garden trees, the most dangerous kind because of the weight involved
- Limbs down across driveways, cars and fences after high winds
- Storm-damaged trees hung up in neighbouring trees — genuinely dangerous, never tackle this yourself
- Branches into roofs and conservatories on the tighter Victorian streets
If anyone is injured or trapped, call 999. If the tree is on power lines, call 105 — the free national number for downed lines. Those calls come first; we’ll deal with the tree once the scene is safe.
On protected trees, there’s an exemption allowing urgent work where a tree is genuinely dangerous — but you still have to notify the council afterwards, and you need evidence the danger was real. We document the condition properly and handle that notification.
For everything else, call 07522 167 197 any time and we’ll tell you honestly whether it needs someone out tonight or whether it can safely wait until morning.
Why Choose Treemedic Ltd in Twickenham
- Local, family-run business based in Hersham (a short drive from Twickenham)
- Qualified, experienced, and fully insured arborists
- Environmentally conscious and BS3998 compliant
- Competitive, transparent pricing
- Free quotations and expert advice
- 24/7 emergency call-out available
Tree Surgeon in Twickenham: Common Questions
Do I need permission to cut down a tree in Twickenham?
Very probably. Eleven conservation areas cover Twickenham and its surroundings, from the Riverside and the Green through to Strawberry Hill and St Margaret’s Estate. In a conservation area you must give six weeks’ prior written notice using a Section 211 notice before cutting down or pruning any tree. With a TPO you need a full application. We check before quoting.
How do I find out if my tree is protected?
The council runs an online map service showing conservation area boundaries. TPO records are held at the Civic Centre on York Street, or ring 020 8891 1411. If you’ve recently bought the property, the local land charges search should have flagged it. Or just ask us — we check as part of every Twickenham quote.
How long does an application take?
A Section 211 conservation area notice is a fixed six weeks. The council has that period to object; if you hear nothing, you can proceed. TPO applications take longer and there’s no automatic approval at the end.
Does a TPO cover root pruning?
Yes. A TPO application is required for felling, pruning and root pruning. Worth knowing if you’re planning an extension, a driveway or any groundwork near a protected tree.
What happens if I do the work without permission?
It’s a criminal offence, and the council is explicit that proceedings can be brought against the property owner as well as whoever carried out the works.
My property has no rear access. Can you still do the work?
Yes — it’s normal in Twickenham. Sectional dismantling with everything brought out through the house on boards and sheets, or rigged over the roof. It takes longer than an open-access job and we price it accordingly, but we’ll tell you what’s involved upfront.
Will match days affect my booking?
They can. If you’re near the stadium, an international or a big club fixture makes it impossible to get a chipper and tipper anywhere useful. We check the fixture list when we schedule and we’ll suggest an alternative date if yours clashes.
Can I cut back branches overhanging from next door?
You can cut back to the boundary line and should offer the material back to your neighbour — don’t dispose of it over the fence. You must not cross the boundary to cut. And if the tree is protected you need consent first, even for overhanging growth.
I think I've got Oak Processionary Moth. What now?
Keep everyone and all pets away from the tree and the ground underneath it. Don’t touch it and never pressure-wash a nest. Photograph it from a safe distance and send it to us — identification is free, and it’s often something harmless.
Are you insured?
Fully — public liability and employers’ liability, and we’ll send certificates before we start if you’d like them. Ask any tree surgeon for theirs. If they hesitate, don’t use them.
What happens to the waste?
It goes with us. Treemedic Ltd is a registered waste carrier with the Environment Agency (CBDL644967), and all arisings are transferred only to appropriately licensed facilities in accordance with our Duty of Care under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Timber can be left cut to size for firewood if you want it — just say when we quote.
Areas We Cover In and Around Twickenham
We cover Twickenham including the town centre, Twickenham Riverside, Twickenham Green, East Twickenham, Cambridge Park, Cole Park, St Margarets, Strawberry Hill, Whitton and Heathfield.
We’re across the rest of the borough too — Richmond, Teddington, Hampton, Hampton Hill, Hampton Wick, Kew and Ham.
Across the river in Surrey we work daily in Hersham, East Molesey, Thames Ditton, Walton on Thames, Esher and Weybridge, plus Kingston and Shepperton.
Not sure if we cover your postcode? Give us a ring and we’ll tell you straight away.
