In short
Usually not, unless the tree has a Tree Preservation Order or you are in a conservation area. A protected tree needs the council's consent before work, and in a conservation area you normally have to give the council six weeks' notice first. Ask your council if you are not sure which applies.
This is a job for our Tree Felling & Dismantling service.
Tree Preservation Orders
A Tree Preservation Order is made by the local planning authority to protect a tree or group of trees. Cutting down, topping, lopping or otherwise damaging a protected tree without consent can be an offence, so the council's consent is needed first, unless an exception applies.
Conservation areas
Trees in a conservation area that do not have their own Order are still protected. You have to notify the council using a section 211 notice six weeks before carrying out most work, which gives the council time to decide whether to make an Order. The work can go ahead sooner if the council agrees.
The exceptions
There are exceptions, including work on dead and dangerous trees and on fruit trees, but even for a dead protected tree you normally have to give five working days' written notice unless there is an immediate risk of serious harm.