Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

to be pissed off with new neighbours

27 replies

rubylou · 04/08/2010 12:26

A few monthes ago we go new neighbours that we got on with really well they had children about the same age. not long after they moved in he asked if he could trim hedge down at front between our houses which we agreed to he then told us next year he is going to replace it with a fence which we agreed to aslong as not too tall i.e 6 ft. A couple of weeks ago he asked my husband if he could trim the conifers down a bit between our back gardens which my husband agreed to. This when it all went a bit wrong, I went into my garden late yesterday afternoon to find a 5ft tree trunk with no branches on left where there had been a conifer.this really upset me (bit hormonal 38 pregnant). When dh arrived home from work i asked if he could go round to next door and tell them i didn't want anymore trees cut down. Their responce was they were going to report us to the council as we were blocking thier light and then we would get a big bill for the council having to cut them down. this has really upset me had no objection to bit of trimming. AIBU?

OP posts:

SixtyFootDoll · 04/08/2010 12:29

Who does th tree belong to? if it is theirs then there is nothing you can do about it.

Original poster

rubylou · 04/08/2010 12:36

trees's are all ours he has come over the fence to cut it down, we have a six foot fence wouldn't mind if trimed it down to fence height be he has hacked the top off then all the remaining branches.

OP posts:

LindyHemming · 04/08/2010 12:39

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ConnorTraceptive · 04/08/2010 12:43

Euphemia is right conifers do look shite when the are cut back but the are also a pain in the arse when someone else's block your light. We have to have the lights on in our kitchen at any point of the day if we're in there as we get no light due to neighbours tree. Agree ou should just get rid or maintain them better yourself

geordieminx · 04/08/2010 12:44

Er criminal damage.

ConnorTraceptive · 04/08/2010 12:46

not if they had agreed he could come and do it surely?

Original poster

rubylou · 04/08/2010 12:51

don't really think cutting all the conifers down would make any difference to his light as their is about 4 trees that are in the middle of them that aren't going to be cut down. and we back on to land full of trees we live out in the stickes.

OP posts:

scurryfunge · 04/08/2010 12:53

I didn't think anyone had a right to light anyway.
You agreed to let him trim the tree and he has gone too far. Ask him to compensate you for the cost of a new tree.

He could argue that the tree was dangerous and needed to be cut down though.

geordieminx · 04/08/2010 12:53

Sorry I thought he had asked your husband to do it, and then cut them himself

Original poster

rubylou · 04/08/2010 12:55

his is still a council house and we own ours does anyone know if this makes a difference if he did put a complaint in to the council.

OP posts:

VinegarTits · 04/08/2010 12:57

The council wont do anything about it unless you live in a council owned property, if its your tree on your land he cant do anything afaik

ConnorTraceptive · 04/08/2010 12:57

Ok well in the interest of neighbourly relation could you go round and have a look at how your trees are affecting his light? Your trees look rubbish now but the will grow back and you could agree to maintain them yourselves and not let them grow above an agreed height.

If you remain reasonable then hopefully so will he. I'm sure he didn't mean to make such a hash of it and hopefully he'll see he was being unfair about saing he'll ring the council.

He's going to be your neighbour for the forseeable future so do you really want this grief over a couple of trees?

bronze · 04/08/2010 12:57

I would have assumed that he was going to trim the branches on his side not skin the tree.
I would be pissed off too.
He didnt do what he asked

ConnorTraceptive · 04/08/2010 12:59

Actually the council can and will take action regardless of whether a property is council owned or not. I think CAB website has information on it.

Heracles · 04/08/2010 12:59

He's full of crap.

www.kirklees.gov.uk/answers/trees/treesonneighbouringland.shtml#faq4

Original poster

rubylou · 04/08/2010 13:00

not really bothered about compensation but just wishes he had dicussed how much he wanted to cut down when dp asked him not to cut down anymore trees rather than just saying he was going to put in complaint

OP posts:

MizDemeanor · 04/08/2010 13:01

He is allowed to take off what is overhanging his garden, he must then offer you the branches back, if he sets foot over your fence onto your land he is commiting an offence.

Altinkum · 04/08/2010 13:03

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

TheMoreItSnows · 04/08/2010 13:05

Why not suggest getting a tree surgeon in - they won't charge for advice - meet him with your neighbour and see if they can offer any useful advice about increasing the light to your neightbour without ruining your trees - a crown raise or something to existing trees might help? If work needs doing - you could both go halves?

MissMarjoribanks · 04/08/2010 13:09

He is correct in that he can make a complaint about your trees to the Council and, under the High Hedges Regulations, the Council can, after due process, force you to cut them down.

However, he needs to demonstrate that negotiation between you hasn't worked i.e. you have totally refused to even contemplate reducing the height. Therefore, if you have already given him permission to trim the trees and he has already done so, he can't demonstrate that you won't negotiate. You're totally within your rights to tell him to stop now.

Also, the fee for such an application is up to £500, which puts the casual whinger off.

You have acted reasonably here and I strongly suspect that, even if he did want to effectively piss £500 up the wall, the Council would find in your favour anyway.

debatendeliberate · 04/08/2010 13:10

you can actually get an ASBO on high hedges www.naturenet.net/trees/hedgerow/highhedges.html if it is proven to be causing a problem between neighbours

MissMarjoribanks · 04/08/2010 13:10

Oh, and the High Hedges Regs only apply to evergreens.

MrsC2010 · 04/08/2010 13:15

Surely he can only cut something that overhangs into his property?

coraltoes · 04/08/2010 13:23

i'd chop his bloody head off! right to light, uh free house mate, stop whingeing!

Original poster

rubylou · 04/08/2010 13:31

thanks for all your help don't think they will will have £500 spare neither of them work. hopefully this will alsort it's self out going to wait until my baby comes before try to talk to them don't need the stress at the moment. we just asked him to stop so we could sort things out before there was no trees left anyway it's raining now so don't think he will be doing anymore cutting he seems unable to be outside without a fag in his mouth which would get a bit wet.

OP posts:

Flip

1 2