Hedge through the boundary line

[billyjohn1blue]

Hi just found your very useful website and wondered if someone could offer some guidance.

We live in a relatively new house (8 years old). Our garden is around 10 meters in length. Previously the land was an old nursery and the houses we back on to objected to the properties being built, their gardens are around 130 meters in length but planning was granted. When putting up the back fences in the gardens the home builders did not put them up to the boundary line but left a gap of around 1 meter, it varies what falls in the gap from house to house, but mainly it is hedges, trees etc.

Some of our neighbours have reclaimed their land moved their fences back and cut back the greenery.

We have no desire to reclaim the land but do have all the paperwork showing that the gap belongs to us.

Now for our problem. The original boundary is marked by an old wire fence which runs through a privet hedge. So half is on our land, and half on the neighbour who we back on tos land. Up until a couple of years our neighbour always cut the hedge down to about 7 foot and we cut what they could not reach. However, they no longer do that and whilst we cut down the overhang our neighbour has made it clear during a discussion that they will no longer be reducing the height, not for any reason other than its not a problem to them it being so high as its so far away from their house. We have offered to do it for them but they have declined.

Seeing as the hedge is half and half do we need permission or can we just cut the height down, at the moment it is about 12 foot and we want to reduce it to about 7. If we use a long hedge trimmer we can cut into the complete depth.

Many thanks in advance.

[despair]

Gardens 170ft in length and they still want to block to you out which is rather unfair by sounds of it

Clearly you can cut up to the boundary line which i bet is the old wire fence and your land but you cannot cut beyond that line

[Sudynim]

Seeing as the hedge is half and half do we need permission or can we just cut the height down, at the moment it is about 12 foot and we want to reduce it to about 7. If we use a long hedge trimmer we can cut into the complete depth.

You can cut the half which grows onto your land, in any way you wish, and without permission. You cannot touch the other half which grows onto their land unless they consent.

I would strongly advise you to cut back to the correct boundary line, and fence it.

[arborlad]

Seeing as the hedge is half and half .

I'm not sure it is like that, unles you're saying that half the roots are on your side of the fence and half on your neighbours side.

[billyjohn1blue]

yes half the roots are on our side and half on theirs. We have cut into the hedge on our side before down to about 6 foot, but all that happens is the long bit left on their side just flops over and makes it look even worse.

Sounds like we need to try and improve relations!!

[victor508]

I have the same problem , neighbour's privit hedge 16ft high his half , 8ft my half , in 27 years he has never cut it , you can ride horses through the gaps at the bottom. Once i lost it and cut to eight foot all across the top, i was warned if i touched his side again i would end up in court.

So now i cut my half to eight foot and as you say his half starts to get brewers droop , as soon as they come over the border , i am legally allowed to cut them off, result.

[despair]

Oh for the "joys" of uncontrolled High Hedges and their often totally selfish growers