You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
I have looked into this before and it seems like there is nothing I can do. Sitting at home working from the dinning room table everyday, staring out at this has got me thinking about it again.
So, my garden is small. About 15m x 15m. The pictures are taken from my dinning room door. The hedge is aprox 30ft tall at the tallest point. It completely shades half of my garden all day. The closest point to my house (the extension you can see in the photo) is only 6 ft from the hedge and the light in that room is significantly effected by the hedge. It drops leaves and elderberries all over my garden.
I don't see why I should have to fork out for specialist tree surgeons to come in and control someone else's hedge/trees.
So, anyone with experience knowledge can help with how we can approach this? We have tried directly with the neighbour but she is not interested at all.
Big bags of salt thrown over the fence
You need to apply for a "High Hedge Notice" through your local council.
Have you spoken to the neighbour?
We have tried directly with the neighbour but she is not interested at all.
Not interested in speaking to you?
Not interested in it being cut at all?
Not interested in paying for someone to get it cut?
I'd have a go at that with an alloy tower, my trusty Alligator, a set of loppers and some trimmers.
Feed it all into my Screwfix Titan shredder.
She is liable for controlling that.
If she will not do anything about it, I'd simply take a chainsaw to it and level the thing.
She sounds pretty ignorant to me so why should you play nice?.
I thought border hedges were joint responsibility.
When you say she doesn’t seem interested, does she refuse to have it cut, or does she just not want to pay for it?
You may have to suck it up and pay for it trimming to a sensible height I.e. 6ft, then twice a year. It may come down to that or living in darkness
Some options....
Contact council to ask about 'right to light'.
Tell neighbour you have contracted a tree surgeon to lop them to height of fence; debris will fall into her garden as trees are growing on her land.
Poison - trees, neighbour or both.
From the neighbours perspective, why the they have to fork out for something you want? You said you spoke to them. Are they happy for you to cut it? It won't need a specialist
Have you spoken to the neighbour?
Yes.
Not interested in speaking to you?
Not interested in it being cut at all?
Not interested in paying for someone to get it cut?
Not interested in it being cut. When we moved in there was no fence at the back of our garden. I had to cut back some low branches growing into our garden just to be able to put the fence up. The neighbour appeared as soon as I started cutting to ensure I only removed the branches I absolutely had to to erect the fence.
What Perchy said, get in about it man!.
From the neighbours perspective, why the they have to fork out for something you want? You said you spoke to them. Are they happy for you to cut it? It won’t need a specialist
Because its their hedge. Its not a boundary hedge. As for the specialist, I do not have equipment or balls to work at 30ft height.
Not interested in it being cut.
In which case I’d have a go at the neighbour* with my trusty Alligator, a set of loppers and some trimmers.
Feed it all into my Screwfix Titan shredder.
*assuming she's not tall enough to require an alloy tower.
Because its their hedge. Its not a boundary hedge. As for the specialist, I do not have equipment or balls to work at 30ft height.
A hedge like that is considered Anti Social behaviour.
Assuming that's the highest bit, you're exaggerating a bit at 30'... You won't need to work at that height even if it were, you're going to be cutting lumps out of it not trimming the new growth...
Get some steps, some loppers and a hedge trimmer and get on with it. See how long it takes her to show an interest 😊
<edit> Presumably that hedge was there when you bought the house...?
3. What sorts of complaint can the council look at?
If you’ve taken the steps listed in Over the garden hedge and can answer ‘yes’ to all the points listed below, the local council is likely to be able to consider your complaint.
Is the hedge (or the part of it that’s causing problems) a ‘high hedge’? Is the hedge:
growing on land owned or occupied by someone else?
made up of a line of 2 or more trees or shrubs?
mostly evergreen or semi-evergreen?
more than 2 metres tall?
a barrier to light or access (even if there are gaps)?
Does this hedge’s height harm the reasonable enjoyment of a home you own or occupy and/or its garden or yard?
Surely the neighbour has to stump up no pun intended, if it's hanging over the fence . At least it's not leylandi the knotweed of hedges
Assuming that’s the highest bit, you’re exaggerating a bit at 30’…
Take a look at the second picture. AT the back under the parasol you will see the orange top of our trampoline. That's 10 ft. The perspective of the photo maybe doesn't help but the tree at that point is easily three times that height.
mostly evergreen or semi-evergreen?
Not sure on this one. What constitutes semi-evergreen? (off to google that)
Assuming that’s the highest bit, you’re exaggerating a bit at 30’…
Assuming a 2m high fence the hedge looks to be circa 8m high so about 24' - 25'
Not that far away.
People have a real problem estimating vertical height in my (extensive measuring height of things) experience
Not sure on this one
Were there leaves on it at Christmas time?
Were there leaves on it at Christmas time?
No. Its mostly Hazel with two elderberry trees at each end.
Be careful what you wish for..they might chop it all back then erect a viewing platform to watch you in your garden.
🤦♂️
We have neighbours like that. With a similar degree of care about their trees/hedges. A whole nother thread in that story.
Anyway. What perchy said. Get busy with your own loppers and trimmers. Life's too short.
For the avoidance of doubt, Perchy never said* get stuck in without your neighbours consent.
That's criminal damage.
Perchy says... "Get your neighbours consent then chop it down"
*Perchy did say dismember your neighbour with power tools but I'm pleading the Edinburgh Defence on that one.
Anyway. What perchy said. Get busy with your own loppers and trimmers. Life’s too short.
Whilst im tempted to agree, it could be criminal damage I guess as the hedge is not my property. No problem trimming back to the boundary, but we really want is a reduction in its height.
It's bird nesting season so leave it alone until the end of the summer.
In which case I’d have a go at the neighbour* with my trusty Alligator, a set of loppers and some trimmers.
Feed it all into my Screwfix Titan shredder.
are the batteries flat in your tazer again?
are the batteries flat in your tazer again?
I'd taser them first obviously.
I'm not a monster.
No one said go to 30', get them chopped down to 2 metres, tell the neighbour your doing it first, then taser her dug, but not whilst you bum it, that might sting you a bit.
but not whilst you bum it
??????
What you need is a cordless drill driver, a 32mm speed bit, a rubber mallet and a pack of frozen sausages.
What happened to bombers?
Have they been swapped for frozen sausages?
Only if there is a dog involved.
For the avoidance of doubt, Perchy never said* get stuck in without your neighbours consent.
No, indeed you didn't, you said:
I’d have a go at that
It's a bit more Finbar Saunders but seems to mean about the same thing.
For me, I'm just interested in having someone else's quote to hide behind, whilst throwing peanuts.
Also, of note, other legally permissible activities include cutting roots that grow past the boundary line.
Although that might make a tree fall down in the direction of said cut roots.
No, indeed you didn’t, you said:
I’d have a go at that
It was an expression of potential ability to tackle the job in a DIY capacity rather than incitement to commit a crime.
Suggesting that the OP feed their neighbour into a shredder in small pieces. THAT was incitement to commit a crime.
Suggesting that the OP feed their neighbour into a shredder in small pieces
Get a better shredder to save cutting the neighbour into smalll pieces would seem more time effective.
More time effective perhaps but cutting them into small pieces is the second best bit.
Apparently.
Ground control to Monty Don
The neighbour should preferably spend time in a chest freezer to ensure the shredder does not clog nor does a poor job. NB Make sure no papers remain on the body before shredding as these will remain intact and could lead to you being traced!
Although that might make a tree fall down in the direction of said cut roots.
That would depend on whether roots operate in tension or compression...
The neighbour should preferably spend time in a chest freezer
No.
The tempation to hammer frozen pieces of them into their own lawn would be too great to resist.
Bum their lasagne then prune bush to ground level
Putting the bumming of dogs to one side for a moment... If you cut it all down... Criminal damage? Would you get arrested for that? Would a judge send you to jail or just a wee fine? Maybe £200? I dunno. Any coppers in care to comment? Plus criminal record.. but with a small fine you might consider it worth it!
I doubt you'll end up in prison but you may end with the cost of reinstating the hedge. That would be a double blow that not only do you hate the hedge, you also paid for it to be put in.