Merchant Taylors Almshouses, Brandram Road, London, SE13 5RX Data via plota.co.uk

DC/25/141904 - Trees in Conservation Areas Approved

Proposal

FRONT (Brandram Rd): ONE Lime (T1)(ht.10m) CROWN LIFT to 4.5m above ground level, remove epicormic. Reason: to prevent damage to cars. FRONT (Brandram Rd): ONE Beech (T4) LATERAL REDUCE single low limb over car park on NE compass point. Reason: clearance over car park. FRONT (Brandram Rd): ONE Lime (T5) remove deadwood. Reason: safety maintenance, overhanging public footpath. CENTRAL: ONE Chestnut (T8)(ht.13m) CROWN REDUCE HEIGHT by 4m from 13m to ht.9m, REDUCE SPREAD by 2m from 8m to 6m and shape. Reason: large dead branch failure, unbalanced crown, top section of tree is dead. CENTRAL: ONE Prunus (T12) CROWN LIFT to 2.5m above ground level, install prop. Reason: unbalanced crown, use of prop to prevent tree falling onto path. FRONT (Lee High Rd): ONE Lime (T16) LATERAL REDUCE SPREAD by 1.5m from 9m to 7.5m from building on SE compass, CROWN LIFT to 4m above ground level. Reason: clearance from historic chapel building. FRONT (Lee High Rd): ONE Lime (T19)(ht.14m) remove epicormic up to crown break. Reason: head height clearance. FRONT (Lee High Rd): ONE Lime (T28) remove epicormic up to crown break at ht.4m. Reason: head height clearance. FRONT (Lee High Rd): ONE dead Elm (T30)(ht.18m) FELL. Duty to replace applies with a large canopy species - see informative B below for further details. Reason: dead, safety by public footpath and road, the proposed replacement tree needs to be a large canopy species, not birch ? please see species selection in informative B below. FRONT (Brandram Rd): ONE dead Elder (T37)(ht.8m) POLLARD to MONOLITH by 2m from 8m to ht.6m. Duty to replace applies with another elder. Reason: overhanging pedestrian path and vehicle access to car park, reduce to retain safe dead tree to support ivy. CENTRAL (front no.1 Almshouse): ONE Elder (T41)(ht.8m) REDUCE HEIGHT by 2m from 8m to ht.6m, remove deadwood. Reason: to encourage regeneration, safety next to path CENTRAL (front no.38 Almshouse): ONE Camellia reduce by 30% - exempt works. Informative A: the landowner has a duty to plant a replacement tree when a tree in a conservation area is removed because it is dead, or presents an immediate risk of serious harm, para 121 Tree Preservation Orders and trees in conservation areas, government guidance 6 March 2014. Informative B: T30 dead Elm ? duty to replace applies - a large canopy replacement species is required to be selected from: Caucasian wingnut (Pterocarya fraxinifolia), sessile oak, hornbeam, Tulip tree, Hop hornbeam, common walnut (Juglans regia), Japanese pagoda tree (Styphnolobium japonicum), beech, copper beech, small leaved lime, Indian Horse Chestnut, Italian or grey alder, Holm oak, Turkey oak, or a resistant elm, suggest planted in corner by road junction of Brandram Road with Lee High Road where there is space to develop. Informative C: T37 dead elder ? duty to replace applies with another elder ? the retention of safe dead stems of T37 for wildlife and biodiversity is hugely appreciated. Informative D: huge thank you for sensitive tree management for landscape setting of the Almshouses, streetscape amenity, wildlife habitat, environmental benefits such as reducing air pollution form the busy Lee High Road and providing shade to reduce increasingly high summer temperatures due to climate change. Informative E: please create habitat log piles with arisings to mitigate wildlife and biodiversity loss. Note of previous case: TPO application : Condition to replace TPO Zelkova carpinifolia (TPO T1/T3 in Greengage tree survey). Before felling, the landowner may wish to obtain advice from an arboricultural consultant who specialises in subsidence cases on possible alternative mitigation to avoid felling the Zelkova. Should the Zelkova be felled a replacement TPO Zelkova carpinifolia will be required. Note of previous case: 6-week notice : Duty to replace T7 dead beech and T36 dead cherry. T7 dead beech - replace with a large canopy species selected from: Caucasian wingnut (Pterocarya fraxinifolia) oak, hornbeam, Tulip tree, Poplar, Hop hornbeam, walnut, Japanese pagoda tree (Styphnolobium japonicum), beech, copper beech; T36 dead cherry - replace with a cherry such as: The Great White Cherry, (Prunus Tai-Haku), Tibetan cherry (Prunus serrula), Prunus sargentii ? RNO. Data via plota.co.uk

View original council record ↗Last checked

Application progress

✓
Received
22 Oct 2025
✓
Validated
21 Nov 2025
✓
Approved
18 Dec 2025

Approved on 18 Dec 2025 · Delegated · Last checked 8 Oct 2026

Associated applications 3

  • TreesApprovedDC/25/141904This application
    FRONT (Brandram Rd): ONE Lime (T1)(ht.10m) CROWN LIFT to 4.5m above ground level, remove epicormic. Reason: to prevent damage…
  • Treescouncil archive
  • TreesApprovedcouncil archive

Site constraints 9

Blackheath conservation area
Demolition needs planning permission and permitted development is restricted.
The council must give weight to preserving or enhancing the area's character and appearance. Not every council has published its boundaries as open data.
Council document ↗
Article 4 direction
Small HMO Northern Extension. Named permitted development rights are withdrawn here.
An Article 4 direction withdraws particular permitted development rights, so work that would normally need no application needs one here. Not every council has published its directions.
Archaeological priority area: The Lee place-name is associated with former woodland or a woodland clearance
An assessment or field evaluation may be asked for before ground works.
The council or Historic England considers archaeology likely here. A desk-based assessment, and sometimes trial trenching, can be asked for with the application.
Air quality management area: Lewisham AQMA
The council has declared the area as failing an air quality objective.
Schemes that add traffic, parking or combustion plant are assessed against the area's action plan and may need an air quality assessment.
Council record ↗
3 listed buildings within 150 m of the postcode pin
Nearest: Merchant Taylor's Almshouses, Grade II, about 3 m from the postcode pin · 1 Grade I, 2 Grade II
The site itself is not listed. Listed building consent is needed for work that affects the special interest of a listed building, inside or out, on top of planning permission. Setting can be a consideration for buildings nearby; there is no fixed radius.
Show all 3 with distances
Historic England ↗
Also on the record
Radon affected area, class 2; National infrastructure project about 1897 m away: Thames Tideway Tunnel; Inside the Lewisham built-up area; Public transport access: PTAL 3 (moderate), TfL 2023, for the 100 m square.
Not affected
Outside flood zones 2 and 3 · Not green belt · No scheduled monument at the site

Checked on 2 November 2026. The pin for this application is the centre of its postcode rather than the building, so distances to nearby designations are measured from the postcode and can be out by the width of the postcode area. Historic England, the Environment Agency, Natural England, the Planning Inspectorate, the British Geological Survey and UK Health Security Agency (radon, contains BGS materials © UKRI), Transport for London (public transport access levels, Powered by TfL Open Data, OGL v3.0, contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2025) and council datasets, Open Government Licence. A boundary can run through a site and the council holds the definitive record: confirm with the council before relying on this.

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Important details

Council
Lewisham
Application type
Trees in Conservation Areas
Postcode
SE13 5RX
Received
22 Oct 2025
Validated
21 Nov 2025
Ward
Blackheath
Parish
Does NOT need to go to BCAP
Case officer
Show
Target decision
2 Jan 2026
Decision
Raise No Objection
Decision date
18 Dec 2025
Decision level
Delegated
Applicant
Show
Agent
The Original Tree Surgeons Limited
Freehold owner
Show

How this decision compares

Decided in 27 days from validation, about the council's usual 26 days. Approved, as 99% of tree and landscaping works here are.

98%decided within 8 weeks
99%approved
614decided in the last year

Plota live figures for tree and landscaping works decided by Lewisham in the last twelve months, from validation. Lewisham decision record →

Public comments

No public comments yet.

Last counted 8 Oct 2026

Read the comments on the council site ↗

Consultation & key dates

Alt. reference
PP-14413415
Planning Portal ref
PP-14413415
Statutory expiry
2 Jan 2026
Env. assessment
No
Lewisham
Planning Authority Score
5.8/10
Average
#111 of 296 councils
Relevant to this application:
Other decisions

Lewisham ranks #127 out of 296 councils for householder decision speed. Householder applications are slightly more likely to be approved here (90%) than the national average (90%).

These figures are council-wide context, not a prediction for this application. View full council performance
Lewisham decision statistics
Based on MHCLG data, the year to March 2026
84%
Overall approval rate
Below avg (87%) #224 of 296
90%
Householder approved
Above avg (90%) #192 of 296
69%
Decided in 8 weeks
Above avg (63%) #127 of 296
31%
Extended time limit
Below avg (41%) #58 of 296
65%
Minor dwellings approved
117 decided (1-9 homes)
92%
Major dwellings approved
12 decided (10+ homes)
57%
Change of use approved
67 decided
1,303
Total decisions
207 refused in the year to March 2026

Freehold owner and leaseholders: Information produced by HM Land Registry. © Crown copyright 2026. Source: HM Land Registry, UK and overseas companies that own property in England and Wales, September 2026 release.