Neighbour removed my property, aibu?

[user464759]

The front garden boundary between myself & my neighbour was marked by an open chainlink fence attached to his property. Because it was so open (visually) I planted a privet hedge on my side independently supported by my own 6ft trellis. It has been this way for over a decade. My neighbour planned a new driveway and wanted to remove his chainlink fence and replace with a brick wall. However, when I came home from work I found he'd totally removed my trellis and cut back my privet hedge in it's entirety to bare sticks. He said this was necessary as the privet had grown through the chainlink on his side and he couldn't separate the two. My green outlook has now gone & he's started building his brick wall. I have no issue with the wall but I'm pissed my trellis/hedge was ripped out without permission. He says my privet will grow back but it'll take years to reach the same fullness again. He's offered £100 for the damage. Aibu to feel that's stingy?

Even if he is legally "in the right" (which he may NOT be), it is completely out of order not to discuss this with you beforehand: if he couldn't cut the privet back as he needed and was entitled to do to build his wall because of the trellis which was on your land, then he should have discussed options with you before doing anything, rather than presenting you with a fait accompli. I would price up a nice new trellis and charge him whatever that would cost - even if you don't actually buy it as presumably you won't need one now because of his wall.
And if there is any suggestion that he is encroaching over the boundary with his wall I would also demand he pay for a surveyor to draw the boundary line for him to build up to.

user1493035447

I agree

I think we need pictures.

Your hedge will definitely grown back from bare twigs, and quite quickly as well.

He's obviously waited until you were out to do this as he knows he's being quite disagreeable to do this

A nice, normal neighbour would have discussed it properly with you before proceeding with anything, so that you could see for yourself whether the hedge really was intertwined with the chain link and encroaching on his land, and amicably agree what to do.

It's up to you what you do but I expect if you accept the £100 that will have to be the end of it so you may wish to decide whether you'd rather have him make it good or give you money. I wouldn't accept the first offer of £100 in any case - rule number one of negotiation

No YANBU. Perhaps missing the point spectacularly but why did you have a trellis for privet...? It's not a climber, it doesn't NEED support of any kind! It is a fast grower though as you will know from when you originally planted it. It is NOT classed as a noxious plant and is one of the most commonly used plants for hedging in the UK. If you feed it a high nitrogen plant food, that should help it back on its feet.

Your neighbour was being extremely unreasonable to take the action he did and it would have been so much better if he'd had the courtesy to speak to you about it first, never mind the fact that he has broken the law in damaging your property.

If he wasn't in the wrong OP, he wouldn't be offering you money.
I hope he isn't thinking of building his wall over the boundary line !

Scrap what I said earlier, I would tell him to restore it or you will but he pays or you will take him to court. Give him 21 days as privet is widely available it should be doable by a professional. I hadn't thought about small claims and I have used small claims - duh! He needs the 21 day warning if memory serves. I wouldn't want to wait for it to grow. I would want it restored ASAP and to my satisfaction too. He knows he is in the wrong.

You sure he is not grabbing some of your land? He had no need to remove the trellis if that was on your land.