High bushes blocking my light!!!

retrocircles

Our garden backs onto a school playing field, which has a perimeter of large bushes. The fence is typical school fencing, that diamond pattern wire stuff, and about 6-7ft tall. Originally the bushes came just shy of the top of the fence, I assume for privacy - lovely. The bushes are now approx 20ft tall.

I'm about to start landscaping our garden & the bottom would be perfect for raised beds vegetable growing. Though I've noticed over the last week or so, due to the bushes, the bottom area of my garden gets no sunlight!

Now, what rights have I got to demand they be cut down to a reasonable height?

If this was me blocking my neighbour's light I'm sure I could be asked to cut it down. Right to light & all that? & if so, who should I approach, the school or the local council?

clutton_2

""what rights have I got to demand "" you have no rights to demand anything.

you might try asking ?

in any case you have lived there for some while (presumably watching the hedge grow from 6ft to 20ft) and now you have decided to change how you use your garden - why should anyone else be responsible for work which will cost money because you want to grow something different ?

if i were you i would go talk to the school and ask if you can pay to have their hedge trimmed back please - they are under no obligation to say yes

retrocircles

clutton wrote: »

in any case you have lived there for some while (presumably watching the hedge grow from 6ft to 20ft) and now you have decided to change how you use your garden - why should anyone else be responsible for work which will cost money because you want to grow something ?

Actually, we've lived here for 3 years. In that time they've only grown a small amount. I know how tall they were previously as I lived in the house next door for 10+ years with my parents.

Surely, as I own this home I should have the option of choosing to use the garden how I wish? And this 'work' should be routine maintenance! That's what caretakers are for. Why on earth would I pay them to cut THEIR overbearing hedge?!

Alternatively I suppose I could cut it down myself and throw the cuttings over the fence?

TJ27

retrocircles wrote: »

Surely, as I own this home I should have the option of choosing to use the garden how I wish?

So do they. They own the school.

If it's coniferous then you might be able to ask the council high hedge officer to have a look but that will cost you. Probably around £400.

Otherwise I think Clutton is right. Ask them. You never know, they might do something.

I guess it might be worth your while asking your local councillor.

Remember though, ask.. don't demand. Try to be nice about it and it might yield results.

maninthestreet

retrocircles wrote: »

Actually, we've lived here for 3 years. In that time they've only grown a small amount. I know how tall they were previously as I lived in the house next door for 10+ years with my parents.

Surely, as I own this home I should have the option of choosing to use the garden how I wish? And this 'work' should be routine maintenance! That's what caretakers are for. Why on earth would I pay them to cut THEIR overbearing hedge?!

Alternatively I suppose I could cut it down myself and throw the cuttings over the fence?

It's you that wants the hedge to be trimmed, so it wouldn't be unreasonable for you to pay for it to be trimmed. You can only cut those parts of the hedge that overhang your property, and then only as far as the property line (the fence) - anything else and you may commit the offence of crimimal damage.

MissMoneypenny

Try looking on gardenlaw
http://www.gardenlaw.co.uk/phpBB2/index.php

clutton_2

you can cut down overhanging branches and return them to their owner. you cannot cut down height of trees that do not belong to you.

you might need to have a friendly and calm conversation with the school - but if you maintain this "i'm in the right" attitude - you wont get anywhere

Idiophreak

maninthestreet wrote: »

It's you that want's the hedge to be trimmed, so it wouldn't be unreasonable for you to pay for it to be trimmed.

That's a fairly wobbly argument imho.

It's not OPs fault that they've grown their bushes to this size, so it shouldn't be their responsibility to cut the things back. The school clearly has no consideration for the neighbouring properties - if they did, they'd have kept the things trimmed to a reasonable height in the first place.

This is another one of these good old fashioned neighbourly arguments - like "my neighbour's playing dance music at 3am and I can't sleep" - doubtlessly your response to that would be "it's you that wants the music to be quieter, so it wouldn't be unreasonable for you to pay for your room to be soundproofed".

It's sad that the idea of old fashioned consideration for your neighbours has given way to this overbearing attitude of selfishness in modern society.

mustrum_ridcully

OP have a look at http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/hedgeheight.pdf

You'll find that there are several factors used in determining whether a hedge is too high. Once you gather all the required data you can actually calculate what the maximum high of the hedge should be.

blued

I thought you needed planning permission to grow a hedge over 6 foot?

mustrum_ridcully

blued wrote: »

I thought you needed planning permission to grow a hedge over 6 foot?

Don't know who told you that but I think it's fair to say they are wrong.

The fact is an 8 or 10 foot hedge might be perfecty fine, it all depends on the size of someones garden, how close the hedge is to any windows, the length of the hedge...