What constitutes a high hedge?
- The hedge is growing on land owned by someone else (neighbour)
- The hedge is more than 2 metres tall
- The hedge is made up of 2 or more evergreen or semi-evergreen trees or shrubs (so that they are in leaf all year round)
- The hedge is obstructing light to your garden or to windows of your house (main dwelling)
Important:
- Legislation relating to high hedges does not apply to individual trees, bamboo (which is considered to be a form of grass) or a deciduous hedge (has no leaves in the winter months).
- Although one of the parameters to qualify for consideration under the legislation is that the hedge is taller than 2 metres, this does not mean that all hedges must be kept to less than 2 metres in height or that the council will require any hedge to be reduced to 2 metres.
- The legislation does not grant the council power to require the hedge owner to cut back the sides or face of the hedge if it is overhanging your boundary. This is instead covered by your rights under the Common Law.
- The legislation cannot require such a reduction of height that it would cause the death, destruction or removal of the hedge - or a significant impact upon its health that would likely lead to the same outcome.
- Under the legislation, the council cannot consider other matters, such as the common examples below, and may decline further involvement based on such grounds:
- disagreements or opinions regarding neighbours and/or if a complaint is considered to be vexatious
- if you consider the hedge to be unsightly, to exacerbate health symptoms that you may suffer with, to be a fire risk, to be causing issues of subsidence or damage to your property, to host birds or other animals (including vermin) that present you with issues as a neighbour.