Removing Leylandii hedge boundary

victoriavictorious

Apologies if this is in the wrong forum.
I know its common for a neighbour's hedge to cause problems, but this particular hedge is - or will be - *ours*, once we've purchased the property!
We're in the process of buying an old terraced house with a front garden that has a Leylandii hedge dividing it from the house next door. It runs right along this boundary and butts right up to both the houses.
This Leylandii hedge was only planted 2 years ago - by our Vendors - with the trunks on their side, but is now alarmingly as tall as the house, so well over the prescribed 2 metres high. It was planted shortly before next door had moved in.
We have just received the Property Information form from our solicitors and the Vendors state that they have been responsible for maintaining this boundary (the shortened Land Reg title document makes no mention of boundaries, although possibly the older conveyances might but we have not had sight of these)
There is no Tree Preservation Order in place.
Once we move in, we feel it is essential to get these Leylandii removed entirely asap, and replace them with an alternative, less invasive native hedge. Their proximity to both the properties is a real concern and the potential damage they could do to both properties' foundations, for which we could be held liable, and I guess could not cover with insurance.
Obviously we intend to approach the neighbour out of courtesy, but do we need to get any kind of permission, given that nothing is mentioned in the deeds and we don't want to run into trouble later on? We have found an accredited tree surgeon and are more than happy to pay for the work ourselves.
How do we best approach this removal of what will be "our own hedge?" Do we need to inform anyone (apart from the neighbour?) or obtain any kind of official permission? If so, whose? We just want to protect the property but also want to avoid a protracted boundary battle.
We don't wish to walk away from the purchase.
Any advice gratefully received.

tonyh66

just cut them down there will be no problem and the neighbours will be glad to see the back of them

victoriavictorious

tonyh66 wrote: »

just cut them down there will be no problem and the neighbours will be glad to see the back of them

Oh, that would be fantastic - my ideal scenario! We just dont want to run into trouble over it.

Gloomendoom

Make sure there are no nesting birds in the trees otherwise you could fall foul of the Wildlife and Countryside Act.

If in doubt, wait until the end of September, even then you might have pigeons nesting if you are unlucky.

victoriavictorious

Gloomendoom wrote: »

Make sure there are no nesting birds in the trees otherwise you could fall foul of the Wildlife and Countryside Act.

If in doubt, wait until the end of September, even then you might have pigeons nesting if you are unlucky.

Thank you, yes indeed we had been planning to wait til Autumn for that reason. We definitely would not want to harm any wildlife.

Aylesbury_Duck

I had a similar situation when I moved house once. I went round to see the neighbour in question to let them know of my intentions and they were grateful on two counts - one,that I planned to do it and two, that I did them the courtesy of letting them know beforehand. It turned out to be a really good start to a neighbourly relationship and we now keep an eye on one another's houses and water plants while we're away, put each others bins out, keep other boundary plants trimmed for each other and generally act as good neighbours should.

martinthebandit

I agree with the all the above, except for needing a tree surgeon to take them out, really?

Simple enough job to do it yourself.

dunroving

martinthebandit wrote: »

I agree with the all the above, except for needing a tree surgeon to take them out, really?

Simple enough job to do it yourself.

I was thinking along the same lines - legal liability if damage is caused taking them down. If they are as tall as the house, they won't be light!

System

We have Leylandii round the front and back garden of our house. Maintained regularly and within the boundary set by the insurance... anyway, we chopped one down to floor level a few years back. It didnt grow back and the stump is rotting slowly. No sign of life from it.

However, our trees are only 8ft tall and not as tall as our house.

victoriavictorious

dunroving wrote: »

I was thinking along the same lines - legal liability if damage is caused taking them down. If they are as tall as the house, they won't be light!

Yes, those ^^ were our thoughts exactly. We have actually had an offer to do the job from a kind relative, but we will politely decline. These trees are 3 storeys high now and the area quite restricted (and fronting a fairly busy road). The potential for a DIY job going wrong is far too great.

victoriavictorious

Aylesbury_Duck wrote: »

I had a similar situation when I moved house once. I went round to see the neighbour in question to let them know of my intentions and they were grateful on two counts - one,that I planned to do it and two, that I did them the courtesy of letting them know beforehand. It turned out to be a really good start to a neighbourly relationship and we now keep an eye on one another's houses and water plants while we're away, put each others bins out, keep other boundary plants trimmed for each other and generally act as good neighbours should.

Thanks for this - I'm glad it worked out for you and only hope our new neighbours will be as pleased; we haven't met them yet.
Did you need to get any official permission before going ahead?