Buckingham Palace The Mall London SW1A 1AA Data via plota.co.uk

26/05815/TCA - Applic. for works to trees in CA Pending

Proposal

1638 Platanus x hispanica (London Plane) - Reduce the crown height by 3m, with lateral reductions of 3m to the east and south and 1.5m to the west, to reduce mechanical loading and the likelihood of branch failure associated with over-extended laterals. 1639 Platanus x hispanica (London Plane) - Reduce lower crown to the south to allow 2.5m clearance under street light. 1643 Platanus x hispanica (London Plane) - Reduce the crown height by 4m and lateral spread by 4m to the east, and by 2.5m to the west, to reduce mechanical loading and the likelihood of branch failure associated with over-extended laterals. 1645 Platanus x hispanica (London Plane) - Prune lower crown to the north to allow 2m clearance from temporary buildings. 1647 Platanus x hispanica (London Plane) - Reduce the crown height by 3m and lateral spread by 3m to the west , to reduce mechanical loading and the likelihood of branch failure associated with over-extended laterals, and historic pruning points. Including the removal of the limb with topside decay at 8m projecting north. 1649 Platanus x hispanica (London Plane) - Reduce the crown height by 3m and lateral spread by 2.5m to the east and south, and by 1.5m to the north and west due to basal decay. 1651 Platanus x hispanica (London Plane) - Overall crown reduction by up to 3m to the previous pruning points to reduce the likelihood of failure due to the discovered decay within the main stem at 8m. 2660 Platanus x hispanica (London Plane) - Reduce the crown height by approximately 2m, with a lateral reduction of approximately 2.5m to the north, south, and west, and 1m to the east, to reduce mechanical loading and the likelihood of branch failure associated with over-extended laterals, proliferated regrowth, and historic pruning points. 2662 Platanus x hispanica (London Plane) - Reduce main lateral limb at 8m projecting to the south-west by 3.5m to reduce the likelihood of failure. Reduce the crown height by 2m and lateral spread by 3m to t… Data via plota.co.uk

View original council record ↗Last checked

Application progress

Received
25 Aug 2026
Decision
Expected by 20 Oct 2026

This application is under consideration - no decision has been issued yet. Plota predicts a decision between 17 Sept 2026 and 28 Sept 2026, from Westminster's recent tree and landscaping works.

Site constraints 9

Registered park or garden: Buckingham Palace
Nationally designated heritage. Its significance and setting carry great weight.
Registered parks and gardens, battlefields, world heritage sites and protected wrecks are designated heritage assets: harm needs clear and convincing justification.
Historic England ↗
Royal Parks 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
Article 4 Basement Development Permitted Rights Removed. 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: City of Westminster APA 2.1
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: Westminster 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 ↗
Habitat network: Wood pasture and parkland
Where habitat is joined up enough to work as a network. Context, not a constraint on its own.
Central activities zone
The core of central London in the London Plan.
Offices, culture and the other strategic functions of the centre take priority over new housing here.
12 listed buildings within 150 m
Nearest: South Screen to Buckingham Palace Forecourt Backing Onto Ambassadors' Court, Grade I, 35 m away · 6 Grade I, 1 Grade II*, 5 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 12 with distances
Historic England ↗
Also on the record
Inside the City of Westminster built-up area.
Not affected
Outside flood zones 2 and 3 · Not green belt · No scheduled monument at the site

Checked on 11 September 2026. Historic England, the Environment Agency, Natural England 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

Application type
Applic. for works to trees in CA
Postcode
SW1A 1AA
Received
25 Aug 2026
Validated
25 Aug 2026
Ward
St James's
Case officer
Show
Target decision
20 Oct 2026
Applicant
Show
Agent
Writtle Forest Consultancy Limited

Decision outlook

Day 20 of the 56-day target. Westminster usually decides tree and landscaping works by day 28.

Day 2036 days to the 56-day target
90%decided within 8 weeks
98%approved
318decided in the last year

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

Public comments

No public comments yet.

Last counted 8 Sept 2026

Read the comments on the council site ↗

Consultation & key dates

Alt. reference
PP-15182537
Env. assessment
No
Westminster
Planning Authority Score
3.5/10
Below average
#221 of 296 councils
Relevant to this application:
Householder decisions

Westminster is slower than most councils at deciding householder applications, ranking #258 out of 296. Only 28% of applications have the time limit extended, well below the 41% national average - the council usually decides on time. Westminster is also one of the strictest councils - it refuses more householder applications than almost any other, with only 81% approved vs 90% nationally.

One of the strictest councils
only 81% approved vs 90% nationally
These figures are council-wide context, not a prediction for this application. View full council performance
Westminster decision statistics
Based on MHCLG data, the year to March 2026
86%
Overall approval rate
Below avg (87%) #201 of 296
81%
Householder approved
Below avg (90%) #277 of 296
44%
Decided in 8 weeks
Below avg (63%) #258 of 296
28%
Extended time limit
Below avg (41%) #46 of 296
83%
Minor dwellings approved
12 decided (1-9 homes)
67%
Major dwellings approved
3 decided (10+ homes)
81%
Change of use approved
133 decided
4,602
Total decisions
648 refused in the year to March 2026