Neighbours Conifer
Heather Maltson
Posts: 1
my neighbour has a huge single conifer - It is much taller than our 2 storey house. It does not impact greatly on their garden but does block a great deal of light from our garden. It does not overhang our garden and they are not receptive to having it lopped to an agreed height that still provides privacy for us both, despite my offer of arranging the work and sharing the cost. our local council have confirmed there is no max height and they will only get involved if they consider it to be danger, which i am not sure it is. I do not want to be on bad terms with my neighbour but would like to find a solution so any suggestions most welcome.
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Posts
If they don't want it cut, even with your offer, there isn't much you can do except pray that these gales do a good job. Maybe it is of sentimental value to them.
If you live in Derbyshire, as I do.
It's not near enough to your house to affect your foundations then?
If it's just one tree, and doesn't overhang your boundary, there is nothing you can do about it.
"The Rights of Light Act 1959 states that if a Property has received daylight for the last 20 years (the minimum prescribed period), they may be entitled to continue to receive that light. This means that if your neighbour builds a large fence or there are large trees which restrict the daylight your Property receives (for example by blocking daylight reaching a window), you may be able to apply to the courts for your daylight to be restored, or for any injunction to prevent a proposed fence being built."
http://www.problemneighbours.co.uk/problems-with-neighbouring-trees-action-guide.html
Or weedkiller and a bag of copper nails.
Frankly it would be cheaper to move house.
A high hedge would certainly require trimming by law, but a single tree not so. There is no way that a neighbour can be made to lower a single tree in their garden unless it is a hazard and is unsafe. The neighbours are not "problem neighbours" - they are perfectly within their rights to decline a request for their tree to be trimmed. Nor is the tree a problem tree unless it is dangerous,
If the tree was small when the OP moved into their house and it has grown a lot since then that is unfortunate but not unnatural.
Suggesting weedkiller was, I hope, a joke. Malicious use of weedkillers is not unknown but is not to be recommended.
If you live in Derbyshire, as I do.
It was indeed a bit of grim humour.
I'd dig as deep a trench as I could just within my garden and if any roots happen to get chopped then that would be unfortunate. Don't quite understand the refusal to have it trimmed, if its that high you probably cant see the top without leaning back..
really feel for you but theres nothing you can do if they do not want to do anything. its not worth getting into a horrible situation with your neighbours about. they obviously don't realise how bad it is for you and they never will. you cant make horrible people into nice ones.
having said all of that ( I have terrible neighbours who don't cut their side of our hedge and it is a real mess) I inherited 6 conifers on my front garden, took 4 out, left the other 2 for privacy. it wasn't until I chopped those down too and took photos that I realised how awful they had looked, and how nothing would grow underneath them!! your neighbours are the same. they don't realise !
"I'd dig as deep a trench as I could just within my garden and if any roots happen to get chopped then that would be unfortunate."
If you do that and the tree falls down, it will fall down in the direction of the trimmed roots and you will be liable for all repairs and replacing the tree and criminal charges.
Leave the tree alone and move on, you are fussing on nothing - there must be other things you can do to occupy your time other than a tree in a neighbours garden.