Overgrown conifer needs cutting back - opinions please

KnownMaynard

Hi All,

We received a letter from Herts council citing the Highways Act, telling us we need to cut back a hedge which grows from our property boundary and is overgrowing onto the pavement. See photos. They suggest it is a hazard for traffic but I can't really see how.

I accept that the hedge is covering part of the pavement, and that people in wheelchairs/pushchairs and with other disabilities need unobstructed access, our concern is that if it is cut back that far it is essentially going to look horrible. I'm no expert in hedges but we were advised that cutting to that extreme will likely cause it to grow back brown, if it grows back at all. The letter from the council's 'enforcement agency' gives us 14 days to cut it back, which isn't going to happen in any case as we'd want a professional to do it and there's not much chance getting anyone booked in by then. I am not sure the extent to which they would 'enforce' the requirement?

From what I can tell - and opinions would be appreciated - we have the following options:

1) cut it right back to the line of our property boundary (ie the pavement edge) and either; put a 1-2m fence up along the boundary to hide the mess, or, plant something beneath it that might grow there, if we could get through the roots of the conifer. And if so, what would we plant there?

2) cut the corner section off as it is the worst offender as it accounts for most of what hangs over the pavement and see if the agency considers this enough (I think unlikely as the letter does acknowledge our property boundary is a dwarf wall which is hiding under all this).

3) cut it back to 2.5m height off the pavement and leave the rest overhanging, though really this is also going to look pretty bad.

Any other thoughts? Or experience of similar situations? I am not sure what the extend of the enforcement will be but given they have subcontracted it I am sure they will not just forget it. My partner is quite upset about it and wants to write to them explaining how cutting back this 40 year old hedge will look awful, and given our location hardly anyone actually uses that pavement anyway...But I am sure they are dealing with the facts of it in relation to the pathway than any care for aesthetics so at best it would potentially only buy us time.

From the garden side of the hedge we would probably not notice much but it'd be a shame to lose some greenery from the area in general.

Grenage

I wish my local council did this more often; I get really fed up of half the pavement being taken up by someone's hedge.

It will look terrible, yes, but that's your problem and it's eating up public space.

In your position I would cut it down to the ground and either plant another hedge or install a fence.

theoretica

To put a fence over 1m tall would require planning permission.

How far back can you cut it and still have some green?  Leave it too long and there is a chance the council will send someone to hack it back to the boundary - and charge you for the work.

warwick2001

Firstly, I find it quite refreshing that you are asking the best way to cut this back, not the "How dare the council tell me to cut it back, its my hedge, they have no right...etc etc". That's very responsible of you, so well done.

However, that being said... You absolutely have to cut it back to the boundary dwarf wall. I cannot see how there would be any way you avoid doing it. And that's not just the 'cut the corner section off as it is the worst offender'. Also, your idea about 'cut it back to 2.5m height off the pavement and leave the rest overhanging' isn't a great idea either. What if someone is walking under the overhang, and a branch falls and clonks said person on the head. Lawsuit ensures, (almost definitely). And you would be liable, its your hedge and you've already been told to remove it.

Unfortunately, I think you just have to cut it back and cope with the eyesore. Putting a fence in front would hide some of the mess, but you'll only be able to go to a certain height (I think its 1m on a pavement facing boundary, but happy to be corrected), so you'll still be able to see a good chunk of it.

You have my sympathies, I have a buddleia that grows very rapidly every year, and I spend about an hour every weekend cutting it back off the pavement, otherwise I get many complaints from neighbours and passers-by (if I'm in the front garden at the time). I would recommend just cutting it back, possibly using a professional, and let them make the best job of an unfortunate situation. 

warwick2001

Apologies, forgot to add.

If you contact the council and explain that you won't be able to get the cutting done for a period of time (maybe speak to a professional to get an approximate start date) they might be amenable to give you longer than the stated 14 days. Or they may not, depends on what sort of mood they're in 

TELLIT01

Cutting it back to the boundary is going to expose a lot of brown, and it's unlikely to grow back.  However, it should never have been allowed to get as large as it is anyway.  Because of the damage cutting it back will cause, I would remove it completely and replant a new hedge about a metre inside the wall/fence and keep it cut back to the boundary in future.  Young leylandii will grow quickly but will also work well if kept under control.

another_casualty

I love conifers . However they do grow massively in the roots , possibly damaging peoples properties over time if not controlled . 

They are very thirsty plants . 

Tbh as said above , it shouldn't have got to the state it is in . That first picture explains everything really . Walking past that is a pita to be honest .
There are a lot of overgrown plants like that where I am . Plus people leaving their large 4x4 half on the road and half pavement . Very annoying 

It obviously needs to be trimmed / pruned / cut etc by an experienced professional 

If it were me , I'd send polite email  of acknowledgment apologising and get it done .
Just explain that " it may take a little time and please don't turn up and take action " etc 
Maybe a follow up call midweek to confirm 

kazwookie

Should have been cut back every year.

It needs to be cut back to the wall at least, good for the council taking action, as I hate having to walk into the road as the pavement has been over grown by bushes etc.

Personally I would pull the lot out, and start again with something more suitable.

Bendy_House

Bite the bullet, KM. That is beyond being rescued, and - imo at least - it doesn't look attractive even the way it is.

Conifers can be awesome trees, but as soon as they are shaped (and that isn't even 'shaped'...) they just become an intense wall of green with very little character.

If you don't remove them completely, they will be a permanent and costly pain for you to manage, and you won't even want to 'cos it'll look soooo bad.

Spend some time checking out attractive evergreen shrubs, or the much wider range of non-e'greens if you don't mind the loss over winters. Your neighbours, and anyone walking down that path, will thank you.

I honestly think there's only one thing to do with what's currently there - remove.

Ant555

Ref your question - will it grow back?

I dont think so as where I walk the dog, there were two hedges similar to yours growing way over the pavement which means we have to walk in the road (and it has pretty much destroyed the pavement surface under the hedge).  I complain inside my own head about it and do nothing, however one day one of them was cut back and all brown so I assumed someone had complained as its on a popular route to a school.  2 years later... still brown, all twiggy and looks terrible.

Bendy_House

If you cut a conifer pretty much right back to the ground, just leaving a stump, will new branches grow from it?