A quick intro from me

I'll get right on that ARMANDII

 

Leylandii update:

Spoke to the neighbour again yesterday and she said she's going to get a tree surgeon to look at them and to take care of it. Unsure if this is good or bad news.

Would be easier for me and the old man as we wouldn't have chop and dispose of the logs but also thinking she might hardly get them shortened. Also, if the tree surgeon quotes £300 or something like that she might not want to do it all.

Thoughts anyone?

 

Belated hello and a word of caution....I only ever mean to 'pop' in this forum and find myself still here hours later as their such a friendly and helpful bunch

 

UPDATE: not good. Spoke to the neighbour again on the weekend. She has said she isn't going to get a tree surgeon, isn't going to reduce their size and isn't going to touch them at all. Not sure what to do as they cast a lot of shade right on to my veg plot.

GUTED!

 

I've just had another look at the pictures of the conifers nFrost and I reckon they've got to be between 15 and 20ft high. I now think it's worth speaking to your council or Citizens Advice Bureau about them to see where you stand regarding getting them reduced.

 

thanks Sheal, I was thinking the same too. They're about 10ft wide all round too.

 

UPDATE: not good at all.

Last night after coming home from a bad day at work and feeling very tired the neighbour came rushing out of her back door...'I want to talk to you, I've not forgotten!' She went on to tell me that they're aren't Leylandii, they're some sort of African Cyprus, the person who told her this is an estate agent, ex-councillor and I assume some sort of Cyprus-spotter. I guess it was just a coincidence that her gardener was around on the weekend.

Whilst being incredibly rude and speaking to me like a 12 year old she said that it would be criminal damage if I cut/trimmed anything off them and that I previously threatened to cut them down to 6ft. I never said I was going to cut them down, it was merely a suggestion. I replied with Hedge Act etc and advised that I can and will trim them. She also mentioned that all tree's in this village and protected and are on the ordinance survey map, even a 20ft Cyprus? 'Yes I'm sure it is' was my reply.

After a while Christina had had enough and words were exchanged etc so I had to shut the door in the neighbours face, silly old bat. I have a lot of respect for the elderly, they built this country after all but I'm won't be spoken to like that from anybody.

Well, I guess that's that relationship ruined with my neighbour. It's a shame as other neighbours on the street are really nice, we swap veg and plants and tools. Really don't know what her problem is.

Rant: OFF. Feeling better now.

The worse thing is Christina got quite worried that she would ring the landlord or police because I had caused criminal damage. Had to do a lot reassuring that everything will be alright.

 

What a sad and sorry tale you've told us this morning nFrost. She is out of order - going at it in that way. This tree/hedge height issue is a real nightmare and none of us want to scurry in and out of our back door at a rate of knots in order to avoid seeing a neighbour.
Why oh why can't they see it from another persons point of view as well as their own? I can offer you no more than a sympathetic and hope that things can be resolved soon,
Jenny
please feel free to come out for a chat in the GC shed at any time.

 

Leylandii is a cypress, but not African. Here's the thing, if she is sure it is a cypress, but the 'some sort of' implies she doesn't know what kind of cypress, how can she be sure its not Leylandii Cypress?

Does that even matter? Surely the issue is the blocking out of light, not the species of tree that is doing it?

I'm afraid the legislation is very loose, and it would still be criminal damage for you to cut her trees without permission. You can use legislation in a legal dispute that may result in her being ordered to cut them down, but you can't safely assume the law would be on your side. You can cut off anything that overhangs your side though, as long as you give her back the cuttings. The law also says that her trees are trespassing if their roots are on your side, which they will be, so she has some legal duty with regard to that, though I'm not sure what. Personally if she is being awkward I would start by sending her a quote/estimate from a landscaper for having the roots on your side removed and the nutrient starved soil being replaced/refreshed.

It annoys me when people thing it is fine to encroach on other people's territory through neglect of their own garden. Its like here, I'm going to have to go and engage the neighbour's bindweed soon as I can see it closing in on my boundary. Maybe implied threats of financial penalty might spur your neighbour into action. Of course to accompany the estimate from the landscaper, if you could find the details of the piece of law that says she is responsible for the roots of her trees invading your garden, and that you will pursue the costs in the small claims court if necessary, maybe she might just accept that the trees need a hair cut.

 

Unless anyone on GC is seriously £ Millionrich, none of us has a right to guaranteed privacy - especially at the detriment of a neighbour. People like this really get up my nose.

 

I've learnt to live with the tree's now really, it's just the fact she thought it acceptable to speak to someone like that. Made worse by an upset wife.

If I had the time I would pursue this more seriously but I've got a lot on plate at the moment so just can't. Being the person that I am I do feel like winding her up however, but know I shouldn't.

 

My back garden is fairly private. The only window that really overlooks it apart from ours is the back bedroom window of the old lady next door, and she is usually out anyway. We do have a social club next door across the alley the other way, and their fire doors open out onto the private (gated and closed off) alley between us and them, and on warm nights they have the doors open for a bit of ventilation, meaning the patrons can see right into our garden (and I can see right into their club ). I'm solving that by growing shrubs and trees along the perimeter. They only need to be head height, so you get privacy without being overbearing. That's all it takes. No need to be able to see your hedge from space. No need to have red flashing lights on top to alert passing aircraft. Just 6ft is enough usually.

 

Found this article, which seems to be well informed yet not overladen with legal mumbojumbo.

http://www.leylandii.com/leylandii.html

 

So I don't need to tell her in advance that I'm trimming it back?

Also known as 'bothering to maintaining the bloody things'