Neighbour's dead tree

Big_Bird_4

margaretclare wrote: »

Just because a tree is dead it may not necessarily be 'dangerous'. A dead tree is a valuable habitat for a lot of creatures. Have a look at: http://www.treesforlife.org.uk/forest/ecological/deadwood.html

We recently visited Richmond Park. There are ancient trees there which were alive at the time of Chaucer, that's 600 years ago. Some of them look pretty dead, others are dead in the middle but surviving on the outside. I would think you need a tree expert before saying 'oh, it's dead, chop it down'.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3946273.stm

The only trees that annoy me are Leylandii - now these things really DO cast a shade. But even in them, birds are nesting!

Margaret

I'm sure the tree is a fine habitat for lots of creatures and if it were in Richmond Park I'd be more than happy to visit it. But this one dangles over my children's sand pit so I want it gone.

I understand where you are coming from, but believe me this is one dead tree. It's also definitely dangerous as bits of it have already started to fall off.

harryhound

My late mother had this problem, compounded by the fact that next door was a buy to let. (She would have a good moan to me, as though I had a magic wand, when I went to see her).

We bided our time and then next door came up for sale.
Time to act! The owners of next door would have trouble selling, if every viewer was greeted by the neighbour complaining about the overhanging sun blocking tree. They would also have problems signing the form that says they have no "disputes".
We were helped by an "estate covenant": All the houses were developed at the same time and all had a restrictive covenant for the benefit of the estate as a whole. It included nuisance from overgrown trees. You might be lucky and have a similar covenant.

So I had mum swing into action with recorded delivery letters along the lines suggested above and surprise surprise, the problem was fixed within a fortnight. The covenant and the need to do a declaration had tipped the balance.

You are being more than reasonable; is there someone else with influence over your neighbour, who you could get on your side ?

Good luck,

Harry.

PS Don't expect much from the local council, if they are anything like mine. The overgrown hedge legislation came in about 2 years ago? And it defines two trees as a hedge.
Anyway the son of an old couple, living in leylandii twilight, tried to get the local council involved. The Council demanded an up front fee and now over a year later the dispute is still continuing and the trees are a whole year taller.