Big Trees in neighbours garden

DrGi

I asked my neighbour 2 years ago to cut some branches his tree. Nothing happened so I asked again today. It's a monster and affecting the enjoyment of my garden. I don't  think he's going to do anything and I haven't  got £500 to complain to council. Anyone got hints and tips?

Thanks in advance.

Gi

Le_Kirk

Where do you live that it cost £500 to complain to the council?  What good will it do if you do complain?  Are the branches overhanging your property?  Is there a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) on the tree?  Does the council have a tree preservation officer?  If there is a TPO, the neighbour will have a duty to keep it pruned correctly.  

daivid

From what you have posted OP the facts seem to be:
Your neighbor has an established tree that they like (or don't care either way about) and you want the tree cut back for your benefit at no cost to yourself. It is also probable that the tree was established prior to you residing next door to it. 

In this situation all that you can do is speak nicely to your neighbor and hope they look kindly on your plea. Whilst enforcement action may be possible this will incur cost to you and under certain legislation the enforcement process can only be started after you have exhausted informal (friendly) negotiations. If you have branches overhanging your property you may be able to cut them back, but again this would be at your expense.

Grenage

If branches are not overhanging your garden then you're likely on a hiding to nothing.

-taff

Welcome to my world. My neighbour behind planted a tree very close to the boundary line probably ten years ago [ yes, before we bought this house] and it has grown beyond measure even in the five years we've been here.

We have asked several times if she'll cut it, with, I can't afford it, I like the privacy, the neighbours like the privacy as answers. If we want rid of it [ because it sheds lots and lots of bits all over the bottom end of the garden and entriely shades the sun from 90% of the garden in the summer and has pushed out the concrete posts for the fences at the bottom of the garden so the fence panels don't sit in there anymore and are held in by string] we'd have to pay for it ourselves which would cost about 1500 quid. So until we win the lottery, we cut off what overhanging branches we can reach.

And I try to see the positives of well, leaving the tree bits rotting down gives me extra compost, it's cool down that end of the garden, and we have something to put fairy lights on if we could reach the branches left.

TELLIT01

I don't see what grounds you think you have to complain to the council. Individual trees on private property, unless in a dangerous condition, is not covered by high hedge legislation which I suspect is what you were hoping to use.  If the branches overhang your property you can cut them back, at your own expense, and you would also have to dispose of them.  You can't legally just throw them back into your neighbour's garden.

JIL

I sympathise with you, our neighbours planted a tree about 20 years ago. It's now very tall, when its windy it actually creeks. It blocks out a lot of light. It overhangs into our garden, but it's so tall we cant even reach the branches to cut them.
The house is rented out, but the tenants dont do anything as far as the garden is concerned. 

[Deleted User]

Might be worth mentioning here that very few Councils (if any)  are currently collecting Garden waste and so demanding a neighbour prune his tree at the moment is not likely to be met with any degree of friendly compliance. 

J_B

Moneyineptitude said:

Might be worth mentioning here that very few Councils (if any)  are currently collecting Garden waste 

Not so here ....

https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/local-hubs/telford/2020/04/18/more-work-for-bin-crews-in-telford-during-lockdown/

unforeseen

Next door in Cheshire there are no collections plus all amenity sites are closed to the public

[Deleted User]

unforeseen said:

Next door in Cheshire there are no collections plus all amenity sites are closed to the public

This is the situation in the vast majority of boroughs, but there are  exceptions