High Hedges Legislation
From 1 June 2005, and under Part 8 of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003, local authorities have powers to deal with complaints about high hedges.
If you have a dispute with your neighbour to do with the height of a hedge then the Council does have powers to intervene. However, involving the Council should be a last resort if you really can’t agree a solution with your neighbour. We can refuse to intervene if we think you haven’t done everything you reasonably could to settle your dispute. We will also charge you £400 for this service.
The process and the steps that you should consider before coming to us are outlined in the leaflet High hedges: complaining to the Council, a link to which can be found below. If you have taken reasonable steps to resolve the dispute yourself AND can answer ‘yes’ to ALL the points listed below, the Council will consider your complaint:
- Is the hedge growing on land owned by someone else?
- Is the hedge – or the portion that is causing problems – made up of a line of 2 or more trees or shrubs?
- Is it mostly evergreen or semi-evergreen?
- Is it more than 2 metres tall?
- Even though there might be gaps in the foliage or between the trees or shrubs, is the hedge still capable of obstructing light or views?
If you do want to complain to us please use the form below, but please read the leaflet and guidance notes before sending it to us.