To tell new neighbour to leave the fucking trees alone

[Wisterical]

My new neighbour, I'll call her Doreen, has severely pruned the trees and hedge in our shared back garden without discussing it with me. It's a brutal, badly done job and now, as well as a once pretty little garden looking awful, the houses behind have direct view into my bedroom. And the birds have gone

Obviously I'm not going to swear at her but WIBU to tell her not to do anything else to the garden without me agreeing to it first? She's also just got a 'dusk to dawn' bloody bright light attached to the front of her flat (we're both ground floor in a block of 4 HA flats) despite me asking if she'd get a motion sensor one. We live in a dark skies area and it's pretty much impossible to see the stars with this beaming all night. She seems determined to do what she wants and I don't know how best to deal with it whilst keeping a good neighbourly relationship.

Surely the HA would ask her to take down the light if you complained about it?

Yes they might do but once I involve the HA it seems an end to my 'good neighbours' hopes. But it's beginning to look like she'll carry on doing exactly what she wants. Will try one more assertive talk with her first.

Be careful being assertive over shared use property. It sounds a bit like you are expecting her to have the bush the way you want it not the way she wants it. As there is no reason why one of you is more entitled than the other, the only way you can persuade her is with charm.

Noted, thanks butteredscone Maybe a dividing fence is the way forward.

What does the tenancy agreement say about maintaining the garden?

Who cuts the grass etc in the shared community garden? Is that arranged by the HA?
I think OP said the bush was changed from how it was to how NDN wanted it.

Good question deepan! Just checked tenancy agreement and it says "not to plant, remove or cut back any trees within the boundary of the property without our written consent" and "to keep hedges at a manageable height (...no more than 2 meters at rear)". Doubt Doreen had written permission and hedges are less than 2m high.

HA mow lawn in back garden April - October. I do my own front garden as they're bit clumsy and used to damage plants. Back is just plain lawn surrounded by hedge/trees.

Whoooo, looks like she's overstepped then if she didn't get the HA's permission first!

She's overstepped the mark. I hope it was a protected mulberry bush or something.

Yep I feel much more cheerful now. I'll talk with her about garden being shared and that we need to agree stuff and if she's arsey about it I can point out what our tenancy agreement says.

Mike I'll check soon as the sun rises.

Sleep tight. My neighbour is often head over the fence telling me the 'bushes' on my side need to go. They're shrubs and it's for me to decide.