7.4 Tree planting considerations

The selection of appropriate species and ensuring planting occurs in appropriate locations will reduce the need for maintenance and ensure the long-term survival of street trees. Surrey County Council advocate the “right tree, right place” principle to maximise benefits, reduce risk and build resilience for existing, and new, trees planted.Through careful design trees can be planted on almost all streets.

Street trees should normally be planted 8m – 16m apart. The actual dimension will depend on factors such as the width of plot frontage, the length of parking spaces, location of overhead utilities and, critically, the proximity to streetlights.

A coordinated approach should be taken when determining the layout of new trees and streetlights, however the former must not be dictated by the latter. Reference should be made to the guidance in BS 5489 Code of practice for lighting of roads and public amenity on the subject of integrating lighting and landscaping.

Planting should reflect the surrounding or desired built form and character. Where a formal character is appropriate trees should be planted at even intervals on both sides of the street while a street with an informal layout may require irregularly spaced trees. It is recognised that a mix of species should normally be provided for resilience and biodiversity (see the 10-20-30 rule), As a minimum an individual street should have at least two species to protect the longevity of a network of trees down a single road.

It is essential that adequate space is provided for the tree to grow and accommodate their typical canopy size. Advice should be sought from an early stage of design on height, crown spread and stem diameter to ensure these requirements of trees are fully factored into design.