Next door but one have a row of fir and Leylandi trees that are way too tall imo. They are fully mature trees that are easily double the height of the houses. They are very close together and constitute a hedge, the branches of the trees completely cover next doors garden and are now growing over my fence line. They block out a lot of light and i wonder what is the legal basis of a complaint to the Local Authority.
I have spoken to the owner in question & he admits they are too large but is reluctant to do anything about it.

Before i speak to him again i suppose i need to know where i stand legally.

Legaly I suspect you stand in your garden looking at some trees.

useful stuff here

http://bfy.tw/5kGg

The property in between mine and the trees is a rental, and i doubt the tenants care that much but the landlord may well do so.
As i understand it, if the trees are closely planted and constitute a hedge then they cannot be any more than 2 metres tall – they must be 60ft high!

the branches of the trees completely cover next doors garden and are now growing over my fence line.

Wow! How wide are the gardens?

Copper nails hammered into the trunk I believe or some petrol poured liberally arond the base?
I have a similar issue, next door have a massive tree/bush thing that is bigger than a house. My garden is south facing so every summer day between about 2 to 5pm a large part of my garden incl the patio is shrouded in darkness. Many times I’ve considered lifting a fence panel in the middle of the night but I do have some morals and have resisted so far.

Over 2m would be considered a high hedge which is now subject Antisocial behaviour law. Its not hard and fast, you complain to the council and they make a judgement which may be take a while and result in little happening though. As it is not even next door it might be a bit tricky. Definitely best to start friendly and see what the neighbour is willing to do. Maybe offer to help either physically or with a few quid towards getting someone in. Way better than getting legal with a neighbour

Many times I’ve considered lifting a fence panel in the middle of the night but I do have some morals and have resisted so far.

I know that feeling.

But having now moved away from trees/hedges like yourself and the OP have spoken of… you know what

Fight the bast$rds with all you’ve got …. its actually bloody anti-social…. and the owners of the monstrosities are the ones with poor morals… they are effecting your lives.

There is a Right to light I believe … use it gents.

If there were playing loud music all day every day and disturbing your use of your garden and property you wouldn’t put up with it.

Good luck

Edit … But as above first and remember if you are planning to move any time soon … neighbour disputes have to be made known on the seller report… that’s why I put up and shut up actually… I knew I was going to move at some point… but it isnt nice and you are NOT in the wrong to want them out/down

Next doors garden is width of a small terraced house, mine (being the end terrace) is a good bit wider.

We had a similar situation, only the garden between us and the garden with the Leyllandii was disused. First I asked the owner if he’d cut them down or at least cut them in half, but he wasn’t interested. Then I left it for a year or so, but they were getting so tall they were twice the height of our house – and his garden is 3m lower than ours. So I called the Council’s tree officer who was helpful and said that one consideration of the High Hedges argument was loss of light during the day. That swung it for us and I was getting ready to do the paperwork, when he cut them down. Which was nice. Also I recall the request to cut the trees down is sent to an independent body and not handled by the Council, but check that in case I misunderstood.

There is a Right to light I believe

You sure?

No, … I’m not… its a mind field.

But I must have read that somewhere when I cut them right right back on my side and had to offer the branches back to the old witch.

She’s now died in the two years since we left and low and behold the trees came down a month or two ago…. the son who was dead against having it done has moved in. Think I pop round compliment him on how much better it is, ask if it cost a pretty penny then let him know I would have pay for work to be done myself.

It was a major reason for us to move but that move has been great for the family so in the end all is well that ends well … hope our posters above get the some kind of out come … a good one.

Our garden is in shadow for the morning due to the trees, normally not a problem due to being at work but its a bugger at weekends. I’m more concerned about the large branches & the potential for damage to my new fencing tbh.
Plus, they are effin’ huge and block a lot of light. If it had been my actual next door neighbour i’d have acted a long time ago.

quick google

here you go

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/9408/hedgeheight.pdf

hope it’s helpful

Contact local councillor as a next step. Mine offered me an ASBO if I didn’t do anything about mine.

In my defence, they were huge when I bought the house so I hadn’t thought anything of them. When the neighbour complained to me, we’d just had a baby so all funds were spoken for. The threat of an ASBO soon after meant V. Jr went hungry for a month or two (b’dum?), but the neighbour in question got her light back.

I’m not as bitter as that last sentence makes me sound. She did contribute a small percentage towards the felling.

I’m more concerned about the large branches & the potential for damage to my new fencing tbh.

You are trying to wind me up aren’t you ?? 😀

a big branch came down in a storm and took out two panels, she wouldn’t replace the them 😯

I’m too bloody nice me at times but again we where already in the moving process by then

Yes Right to Light, but not Right to a View.

Local councillor, thats a good idea.
Fence panels at £100 a pop aren’t cheap are they?
Thing is, these trees are now so large that should one come down it will cause a LOT of damage to adjoining properties for three houses worth either side. The furthest away could easily hit my house should it fall that way, and would completely destroy my garage at the bottom of my garden.
Hmm, thats a good angle isn’t it?

Yes Right to Light, but not Right to a View.

Fascinating. Learn something new every day….

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_light

There are three massive scrubby ash trees on our neighbours (3 different neighbours) side of the border, they suck all moisture out of the ground so little will grow near them and shade the lawn so it’s nearly all moss. The canopy of one if the trees is only 0.5m from our roof and all of the trees are pushing our fence over.
Behind the ash trees are 25m tall leylandi, the neighbours all have long garden and don’t maintain trees and the bottom or the ivy and nettles that are spreading over to my side.
I understand that they can be forced to do something about the leylandi but any cutting back of the ash trees is at my cost even though it’s there fault they are not maintained.

I understand that they can be forced to do something about the leylandi but any cutting back of the ash trees is at my cost even though it’s there fault they are not maintained.

Leylandii are non-native, and need to be controlled; ash trees are native, and under normal circumstances shouldn’t need much maintenance, they’re trees, not hedges, and the canopy of an ash is fairly light and open, not dense like an oak or horse chestnut.
I’d be perfectly happy to have an ash at the bottom of my garden, I’ve got a silver birch I brought home years ago as a four foot twig, it’s been pruned a bit, not as well as I’d have liked, and it’s bushing out more, but it’s probably about twenty-five foot, previously around thirty, but was slimmer than it is now.
The two-story block of flats that were built where the bottom of the garden used to be is a lot more obtrusive than the tree, it blocks a lot of light in the winter when the sun’s low, as the house faces north/south.
I’m afraid right to light stands little chance here. 😐

In my case It’s not right to light its the fact that I have to pay for them to be trimmed when they overhang my property but they’re not mine. They are at the bottom of my neighbours long garden but within a few metres of my house

have you calculated the “action hedge height”?

I haven’t, but seeing as the trees are taller than both next doors yard & my garden put together its a bit of a moot point.
Spoken to the Council and they are going to look into it and get back to me. Seemed rather positive about it when i told them how tall the trees were.
Strangely enough, lady i spoke to didn’t know about the hedge height ruling.