The 2m law on hedges.
PhilE
Posts: 566 Forumite
So I've recently found out that hedges can only grow to 2m. Mine have grown past that so unfortunately I will be trimming down so that no one in the neighborhood has cause for complaint. Unfortunately, I will be losing a lot of privacy in my garden.
I've noticed that a neighbor has evergreen fir tress in his/her garden, providing an effective screen. Wondering if this is actually permissible, if the definition of a hedge is two trees or more, this house definitely has a 4m hedge in his garden.
I've noticed that a neighbor has evergreen fir tress in his/her garden, providing an effective screen. Wondering if this is actually permissible, if the definition of a hedge is two trees or more, this house definitely has a 4m hedge in his garden.
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Comments
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It's not so much law as legislation. You may allow a hedge to grow to more than 2m and if a neighbour wishes to complain, they need to show they have tried negotiation before they take action. There's a £400 fee to deter serial complainants or frivolous applications.
I'd keep yours trimmed because it makes sense to do so whilst they're manageable. If you're bothered by your neighbour's hedge (and it sounds as if it meets the definition), speak to them first and see what they say. It's totally permissible to have hedges over 2m tall but you are also permitted to ask for them to be trimmed and apply to the council if you can't reach agreement with your neighbour.0 -
When a hedge grows over 2m (6½ft), the local authority does not automatically take action, unless a justifiable complaint is made.0
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So I've recently found out that hedges can only grow to 2m.
Mine have grown past that so unfortunately I will be trimming down so that no one in the neighborhood has cause for complaint. Unfortunately, I will be losing a lot of privacy in my garden.
No need to reduce the height of the hedge at all.
The 2m rule applies to fences, not hedges.
If there is a dispute about a high evergreen hedge, the owner can be made to reduce the height but, even then, it's unlikely to be as low as 2m.0 -
You don’t have to trim them down. Just keep them neat and tidy. No complaints = no problem.
We have a row of about 16 leylandii bordering our driveway down the side of our house. It’s about 3.2m high. We border a church and I think everyone is happy with the additional privacy.
It is worth keeping them at a maintainable height though, I can’t quite reach the top of mine without a platform. I’d rather they were about a metre shorter.0 -
The hedge is mine, I'd actually like to keep it over 2m for my own privacy.
However I may rent for a while, and in that scenario it's probably worth not giving the tenants a reason to clash with the neighbours and vice versa.
On the long run, I'd really like to do what someone down the road has done and pretty much have a completely private garden with conifers at the fence.0 -
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If the conifers have grown past 2m and no one has complained, there's no reason why anyone should complain because there are tenants in the house rather than you.
However it's debatable whether tenants should be expected to do tree work as part of garden maintenance, as at some point the hedge becomes a series of trees and trimming them turns into a major task involving more specialist tools and difficulties in disposal of the prunings. Smart landlords don't get into all that.
The other thing is that most urban property can't take tall lines of evergreens without there being substantial losses in terms of light, moisture and growing space for other plants. Most of us know of a house where the hedge has grown disproportionately large and the balance between privacy and utility no longer exists.
It's never a selling point!0 -
My place just has an evergreen hedge, no conifers.
The place with the conifers is a few doors down from me. I like what they've done and am thinking about doing the same at some point.
It's my place I may rent, I'll most probably keep my hedge at 2m so as to keep everything legit and worry free.
Good point about tenants and maintenance of the hedges, I wouldn't expect them to climb a ladder and trim the top og the hedge, probably just do it myself at the end of the 6/12 month tenancy.
Yes, its a balance of loss of light v privacy. And true to say too much of a screen in a small garden could effect the growing of other plants.0
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