Tall trees

HaydenB

I have no intention of forcing her if a) she wont agree to having them chopped and b) there is no law which says she has to.

Ralph-y

do they / will they have preservation orders on them ?

Ralph:cool:

chubsta

i would offer to cut them down - i had a similar problem with my neighbours hedge which has got well out of hand over the last few years and which blocked a fair bit of light in the morning, it just grew and grew. Earlier this year i got a little carried away whilst cutting the bits that grew into my garden and ended up taking about 10foot off the top too. I saw my neighbour a little while later and he thanked me for doing it and offered money as he thought i had got someone in to do it. We have now agreed that i will keep the hedge down to a good level, he works long hours doing a physical job, has a back problem and just couldn't face such a big job himself.

hopefully your neighbour will be reasonable, i have found that most people are

Le_Kirk

Seems to me that the height of the trees could pose a Health & Safety threat, particularly if they fell on the owners house or if the roots were causing damage to the foundations. I would get them checked by a tree surgeon who may advise that they need to be "attended to"

datostar

Tree roots searching for moisture are more likely to penetrate already leaky or damaged underground drains than grow into house foundations which if all is well are likely to be the driest place in the vicinity. In general, a grossly exaggerated 'risk'.

I_have_spoken

The best bet is to alert your house insurer to the possibility of damage from the unmanaged trees falling.

They in turn will try and lay-off the risk on the insurer of the neighbours house, who will immediately seek to have the trees cut-back/removed to reduce their liability.

societys_child

I_have_spoken wrote: »

The best bet is to alert your house insurer to the possibility of damage from the unmanaged trees falling.

They in turn will try and lay-off the risk on the insurer of the neighbours house, who will immediately seek to have the trees cut-back/removed to reduce their liability.

:rotfl:
You just made that up, didn't you.

Doozergirl

It could be a planning issue and subject to enforcement.

Here's a link to my local authority's page, which also links to national guidance.
http://www.bromsgrove.gov.uk/planning/planning-enforcement/high-hedge-complaints.aspx

Furts

datostar wrote: »

Tree roots searching for moisture are more likely to penetrate already leaky or damaged underground drains than grow into house foundations which if all is well are likely to be the driest place in the vicinity. In general, a grossly exaggerated 'risk'.

Tree routes can go into drains, but will be seeking out moisture only if the drains are faulty and leaking. Should one blame the trees for doing what nature intends, or blame the drain owner for not maintaining the drain?

Tree routes can also seek an entry into perfectly water tight drain connections, but here there is a fundamental point. I have yet to come across a home owner who has plotted their drain routes and then given consideration to planting. The common sense answer is to avoid planting trees adjacent to drains.

It is misleading to say foundations are likely to be the driest ground. Foundations are formed onto natural ground which may be very wet. My foundations are a typical example of this - they are below the water table, but the drain trenches are all dry.

Contrary to the comment about a grossly exaggerated risk, the reality is the risks are not known to vast numbers of consumers. Further, the risks are far greater than people are aware of.

moneyistooshorttomention

That's got me wondering just what difference away from drains is a safe one for trees to be planted?? My nfh recently planted a fast-growing conifer type tree (hopetogawd it aint that tree - ie leylandii) and I'm wondering how high she intends to grow it.

Just had nasty thought that its not that far from my drains:(. Followed by more cheerful thought that her own drains are probably in between her tree and my drains:).

Would her drains get bunged-up enough by the tree that she would get concerned on her own behalf before those roots could grow on further in the direction of my drains?