SlimJ_2005

Hey,

Our neighbors have about 4 conifers in there garden all of which are right next to our house and are about 15ft taller than our property (40ftish?!).

What can we do about getting these buggers trimmed? At the moment they block quite a bit of morning sunlight out of our garden, not so bad in the sumer when the sun is high.

The owner no longer lives in the house, instead it sounds like hes renting it out. He's quite powerful in the local area so councils are likely to be on his side for everything!

What can we do?

AllTalk

Lop them .....

dmc1980

cut them and ask later, i did it. paid 500 quid to get someone to come in and cut the trees right back. once there gone what are they going to do, make you put them back?

stilover

Kill your neighbours.

LordOfTheRings

Poison the bloody things

dmc1980

i like that, kill your neighbours and put them through the chipper thing that they use for chopping up tree bits

dmc1980

again another good idea, drill a couple of holes around the base and pour diesel into it

OllyK

Check the legislation, there were some changes recently. I forget how many, but more than so many trees is considered to be a hedge and as such mustn't be allowed to grow more than, I think 6ft high.
High Hedges Law & disappointed hedge victims

DCI Gene Hunt

The Government were meant to be introducing the Leylandi Law to give councils the power to 'lop' trees (or hedges) that grew over 2 metres and obscured light etc..

Google may be your friend, but after asking the neighbours and they say no, your only serious remit will be the councils planning officer, or one **** of a large chainsaw

RB5320

The so-called High Hedges Law applies to 2 or more evergreen trees. It is a very long-winded process. Councils normally charge about £300 to look into it - you as the complainant will have to pay this and you do not get it back even if you win. Councils will expect you to have tried every reasonable measure before approaching them. This obviously means first speaking to your neighbours, followed by mediation if no compromise is found. Only then will the council get involved.
The law gives the council power to insist that the hedge is reduced to a reasonable height and then maintained at that height. The lowest it can be taken down to is (I think) 2 metres. Councils cannot insist on complete removal. If the owner ignores this then the council has the right to employ a tree surgeon and charge this to the owner.
Bear in mind that the above takes a long time. Even if you get this far, the owner will be given a certain time period in which to carry out the work. For instance, if the council were to pass a judgement now, it is likely that the work would not have to be carried out for several months, in case there are any birds nesting in the trees.
If at all possible, sort it amicably with the owner. For example, if he does ever want to sell he probably does not want to have to mention a dispute. Also, as the High Hedge Law is part of the Anti-social behaviour Act, he would effectively have an ASBO placed on the hedge, applicable to any future owner.
All the above is my understanding of the act, and note that I have looked into it from the perspective of the hedge owner, so dont take any of it as gospel.

Steve

New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

Pray for high winds!

bob r

iTrader: (46)

You can pick or pluck, but can't chop or dig. Unless you want to wear some thick silver bracelets.

TopBanana

Have you tried speaking to him?

B9GLY

i would say its tough! i am guessing the trees were there when you bought your house???

astraboy

Kilo of salt at the base of each tree, plenty of hose action to make sure it disolves into the ground.
Job done, with the added advantage that nothing will ever grow there again.
astraboy.

OllyK

Except of course that salt dissolves in water and will be leeched away over time.

Shanny

I had two conifers in my garden that were the same. My neighbour asked if I would trim them and I did. Maybe your neighbour might do the same?

what would scooby do

Drill a hole in each trunk, insert large firework, light and run

SVXNUT

The salt thing is a good one, speaking as a tree surgeon, gently expose the main roots on your side of the trees and split the root bark. Rub salt in and mix with the soil you fill the hole in with. Make sure that you recover the ground with the fallen crap from the trees, so it appears undisturbed.
Could take as little as a week for the trees to look ill, and will usually die within a month.
Just a tip though. Make sure you are not in a conservation area, as anything with a diameter above 4 inches at 1 metre will be protected, and the council may investigate. They will look for salt poisoning and you may end up withh a £20000 bill per tree!!.

paulr

And do you think your neighbour wont retaliate.
What stupid advice.

JamieMacdonald

What reason does he give for not allowing you to trim them?

Kieran_Burns

iTrader: (1)

I'd be more concerned about the bloody roots myself - don't they leech all the moisture out of the soil?

SVXNUT

If you are on clay, get a surveyors report, conifers do leach moisture and can cause subsidence in drought. More than enough reason to have them felled.

SVXNUT

The thread asked for ideas as to what to do. As someone who comes across this on a regular basis, I offered the most common route to solve the problem.
Unless the neighbour knows alot about trees, they are likely to be none the wiser as to the cause of death.

SlimJ_2005

Thanks for the replies guys.

He doesnt live in this house now, apparently renting out although the house has been empty for a few months (people with too much money!), we have spoke to his gardener but he says he doesnt want to do anything about them, as far as he's concerned they block the view of our property. We would cut them if he gave us permission/paid the expense.

Yes, the trees were there when we moved, but considerably shorter than they are now, these things grow over time They now block out a considerable amount of light.

High winds is a good idea, but not such a good idea if they fall onto your house breaking a roof!

Poisoning them is a good idea, but would look suspicious if all 5 died at the same time!

Going through the council seems long winded and time consuming from what you guys have said. Guess we'll just have to speak to him when he's about... whenever that maybe!

Trucker Ted

You could always burn some garden waste,but be careful that the fire doesnt get out of control