Tree Preservation Orders in Scotland: Point and Polygon Geospatial Data

A geospatial dataset of Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs) in Scotland, created by the Scottish Government and published via SpatialData.gov.scot. The data was last updated on 2026-04-29 and includes separate layers for point-based and polygon-based TPO representations, with potential duplication noted. TPOs are legal instruments made by Local Authorities under the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 to protect trees of amenity value.

Use Cases

• Identify protected trees for development planning based on the legal TPO status described.
• Analyze the distribution of tree preservation areas across Scottish landscapes based on the polygon layer.
• Assess potential threats to specific trees or woodlands based on the criteria for TPO creation mentioned in the description.
• Cross-reference local authority planning data using the legal frameworks cited (Section 160 of the 1997 Act, 2010 Regulations).

Strengths

• Data is sourced from the authoritative Scottish Government via SpatialData.gov.scot.
• Explicitly documents the legal basis (Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997, 2010 Regulations).
• Provides two separate geospatial data layers (point and polygon) to accommodate different local authority data capture methods.

Limitations

• The description warns that digitised TPO data 'may not always be digitised accurately' and should not be assumed totally accurate.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and file formats are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Scottish Government SpatialData.gov.scot

Collection Method

Aggregated from Scottish Local Authorities, with data capture methods varying (points, polygons, or both).

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-29 09:04:05.696224; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Scotland