Removing Leylandii hedge boundary

Ruski

Debbie_Savard wrote: »

Lift the trees with a farm jack, no backbreaking digging needed

Not quite the thirty foot tree that the OP has tho, eh ?? :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Russ :A

victoriavictorious

Davesnave wrote: »

Forget the form for now.

I think you need to speak to the tree officer, not some conservation Johnny. You may not even need to explain that this is hedging, not an individual tree, but if you also point out that you're wishing to reinstate the hedge with more wildlife-friendly alternatives, then I don't see how he/she could refuse you. It makes perfect sense to anyone with relevant knowledge.

Leylandii aren't particularly dangerous when it comes to damaging foundations, but long term, I wouldn't want one so close.

In the final analysis, it's you that has to do the maintenance and take the risks with the roots. If it were me, I would try to do the right thing the right way first, but if push came to shove, out would come my chain saw and it would all be done and dusted in an afternoon.

Someone will be along shortly to say the max punishment is thousands of pounds and/or a month in jail, but I don't think it would come to that. You have evidence the leylandii are young, they're inappropriate, and there are much nicer plants that could enhance the scene, rather than overwhelm it.

Thank you.
The person I spoke to was an 'Arboricultural Technician' (which may or may not be posh for Tree Officer, I'm not sure!) We will try and play by the rules and; hopefully common sense will prevail, although councils are not particularly known for that.
If in the (imo unlikely) event that there is unreasonable objection, we would be tempted to take a view on doing it anyway because as you rightly say, we would be the ones responsible for ongoing maintenance, and even more seriously, liability for potentially serious damage to 2 properties.
A fine would doubtless be the cheaper option!

glasgowdan

You say you have pictures - a leylandii doesn't grow to 3 storeys high in 2 years. Interested to see these pictures!

It's also not an invasive species.

It's an easy hedge to keep clipped to any height you like with a 1x annual trim the same as any other hedge, 5ft, 6ft, whatever. It really is a superb boundary hedge. If it's that tall though then it won't be possible to bring it down to that height neatly, so it has to go.

It's also highly unlikely you'll need the council's permission. I know conservation areas well and work in them all the time (as a professional gardener). I play by the rules... no permission needed for hedges.

They are also highly unlikely to damage property as they are. They do not have large wandering powerful roots... just a couple of deep tap roots and spreading thin stringy roots.

How thick are the trunks? There will be quite a lot of waste, which is the main reason people would consider getting a professional in. Tree surgeons have chippers that will deal with it, but they have to charge high rates to pay for their teams and the chipper etc. A proper garden service provider will be able to do it, potentially for a lot less.

Gloomendoom

Debbie_Savard wrote: »

Lift the trees with a farm jack, no backbreaking digging needed

I have one of those.

Be careful if you decide to use one. They aren't nicknamed "widow makers" for nothing.

victoriavictorious

glasgowdan wrote: »

You say you have pictures - a leylandii doesn't grow to 3 storeys high in 2 years. Interested to see these pictures!

It's also not an invasive species.

It's an easy hedge to keep clipped to any height you like with a 1x annual trim the same as any other hedge, 5ft, 6ft, whatever. It really is a superb boundary hedge. If it's that tall though then it won't be possible to bring it down to that height neatly, so it has to go.

It's also highly unlikely you'll need the council's permission. I know conservation areas well and work in them all the time (as a professional gardener). I play by the rules... no permission needed for hedges.

They are also highly unlikely to damage property as they are. They do not have large wandering powerful roots... just a couple of deep tap roots and spreading thin stringy roots.

How thick are the trunks? There will be quite a lot of waste, which is the main reason people would consider getting a professional in. Tree surgeons have chippers that will deal with it, but they have to charge high rates to pay for their teams and the chipper etc. A proper garden service provider will be able to do it, potentially for a lot less.

Thank you glasgowdan, a very interesting take on this and quite a refreshing one, as I've never before heard a good word about these trees, especially in such proximity to a house.
I can only guess that local authority regulations may well vary across the UK with some applying regulations more / less stringently than others, but we really would prefer not to fall foul of any if at all possible, and cover our backs. All I know is that this local authority applles its rules quite strictly.
As for the growth, whilst I have the utmost respect for your knowledge as a professional, I can assure you that I do indeed have photos to prove it, which would obviously not be appropriate to post online.
EDIT
I'm not sure how thick the trunks are. Thank you for the advice which has certainly given me food for thought.

Davesnave

I had golden leylandii in my old garden, giving it great privacy, but they were 25' from the boundary fence, so I could get at both sides. They were never allowed beyond the reach of my ladder and kept at a maximum of roughly 3' wide at the base. They were no bother.


Now, I just have the neighbour's leyland cypress, which enable me not to share in their lives too much ,;) so they're a good thing, but with agreement from the neighbour's landlord, I don't let them go above 7'. It's just a yearly job.

moneyistooshorttomention

Gobsmacked at telling the Council about it at all in the first place...:eek:

You may get a jobsworth "being awkward" because of that and have to argue about it.

Personally - I'd have just taken them straight down - and expected the next door neighbour to decide I was their "new Best Friend" for doing so and be out there feeding me drinks etc.

victoriavictorious

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

Gobsmacked at telling the Council about it at all in the first place...:eek:

You may get a jobsworth "being awkward" because of that and have to argue about it.

Personally - I'd have just taken them straight down - and expected the next door neighbour to decide I was their "new Best Friend" for doing so and be out there feeding me drinks etc.

I do love a cavalier attitude in the right circumstances (honestly) and as tempting as it is to throw caution to the wind, it would be *us* who risked being whacked with a fine if some busybody with too much time on their hands - and they are everywhere - decided to report it and we hadn't followed (what the council consider to be) correct procedure.
After everything that went wrong with our move over the past 3 months, just when things seem to be going well at last, yet more stress over a potential and avoidable fine is something we are eager to avoid.
I honestly don't see it being an issue and applying is free, but in the unlikely event that some jobsworth *makes* it an issue, I will have no problem dealing with them and standing my ground (literally!)
As for the neighbour, tea and cake would be the order of the day. :cool:

paddy's_mum

Given that you haven't even bought the property yet, I'd be putting very polite pressure on the sellers to deal with this themselves, before contracts are exchanged.

I'm all for avoiding rows, confrontation and upset but they are the soppy so-and-so's who planted them in the first place, who have sat back and watched them grow to daft proportions and now seem to expect someone else to deal with the ongoing problem and foot the bill for it into the bargain!

Your choice, and I completely understand that a person can fall in love with a house but can't they see the unfairness and at least offer you a golden handshake of some sort? Good luck.

prowla

I was having a chat about this with someone today.


Some years back I cut down my leylandii; I used an axe and found it good exercise and rather invigorating.



One thing I would say is that, if you have someone come in and put up a fence, do make sure that they get the line right; do not trust them to do the job unsupervised!