Neighbour's wisteria growing over my asbestos garage roof...and other woes. Advice?

EpsomOldie

Hello. I hope this is the correct forum - wasn't sure whether to put it in the Greenfingered MS or maybe the Families forum instead.

My neighbour's very large, untended wisteria has grown up and over my detatched garage. It's two-thirds of the way over the garage's corrugated asbestos roof.

The way the garage is positioned means I can't access the side where the wisteria is to cut it back. If I turn a blind eye, it's only going to get bigger and heavier. I understand that asbestos is "inert" / harmless unless it's cut or broken - might the wisteria's habit eventually damage the garage roof?

I also understand that any work with / near asbestos needs to be done by specialists, and I'm rather pee'd off that I will probably have to stump up money I haven't got.

The garage is the tip of the iceberg really.


Apart from the garden, I get on with my neighbour. I actually don't care what her garden looks like: it's always been "wild", i.e. neglected. I've even come to accept that I can't grow anything on that side because of lack of light and moisture caused by (starting at the houses and leading down to the garage) the following:

• 18' lilac
• 20' rambling rose
• 10' box tree
• 60'+ ash tree c 15m from the house
• 60'+ conifer
• 15' philadelphus
• numerous ivys
• humungous growth of bindweed growing over and under the fence
• a patch of bamboo that's getting nearer the fence

Oh, and an ivy seedling that found a home in neighbour's blocked drain is now established and growing up her house - and down into the drain which is shared between our two houses!

I've already talked to the neighbour re the proximity of the ash tree to the houses. I'm most concerned about the foundations being affected, as well as the light issue. I explained this some years ago and suggested that the ash tree be felled with me paying half the costs. At that time I spoke to the husband who was at that time still with her and he wasn't at all happy. He very reluctantly cut back some of the branches, but predictably the tree simply sprouted bigger and better branches.

After the husband left, I broached the subject again and this time offered to pay for all of the costs of felling. Still no.

It's now come to the stage where the neighbour's shrubs and trees are leaning against (her) boundary fence so that it's leaning into my garden.

I don't really know where to go from here. I don't want to fall out with my neighbour by keeping on - she's very nice in other respects - however the situation isn't going to get better on its own.

Sorry - this has turned into a rant. Am I over-reacting re the wisteria / roof and the proximity of the ash to the house? Any ideas re the best way forward?

Thank you

alleycat`

Suggested minimum Maximum root
distance from property spread recorded


Ash Fraxinus 10.0 metres 21.0 metres

Hopefully that formats ok.

It appears to be borderline on whether or not it will cause an issue.
If it does need to come down it can't be done in one huge go as the tree dying will cause changes to ground structure which might be worse than if it is left alone.

Of all of it i'd want the conifer gone at that height...

EpsomOldie

Thank you for that - very useful.

I think this is probably in the wrong place as it's predominantly about my garden rather than the house, so I'll re-post in the Greenfingers forum.