Neighbourly dispute over trees

[Redolent]

We moved into our current house at the start of lockdown, and not long after, received a letter from our right hand fence neighbour (A). He’s very annoyed at the ‘Leylandii neighbour’ - bottom of our garden (B). See attached.

A (writer of the letter) is an elderly man, for context.

We’re not massively invested in this situation. The tree intrudes into our garden quite a bit but we appreciate the coverage. Is A being reasonable in his complaints about the sunlight being blocked in garden? Should we tell B to trim it, and how much by?? We have no clue.

There the separate issue of our own tree which we’re happy to have cut back...

Neighbour A has knocked on our door this week and is keen for us to make a decision. B is also chatting to us over our fence (unsolicited) to complain about A and his grumbling...

[images removed by MNHQ]

I don't know anything about trees, but from what I can see the trees are well maintained and don't come into annoyed neighbours garden. I don't see how he can make you cut them?

If that is your tree, in the left side of the photo I can see why he is annoyed. The houses look modern, and usually modern houses have smallish gardens. Even for a large garden, your tree is way too tall. Ok for a park maybe. I'd get that cut down and make sure nothing ( trees/ hedging) grows higher than 8 foot tall going forward in your situation.
The leylandii is nothing to do with you, but again is way too tall and more appropriate for a park than a small surburban garden.
So yes on balance, I agree with the author of the note.

Leylandii grow like rockets. When you top them they spread from that point if you don't stay on top of it. I think you would be sensible to ask B to trim them back each year. I've just had to chop ours down because the previous owner had let them grow and they were just unmanagable.

Keep your own tree well maintained, you may need to cut this back/get it trimmed.

Do not get involved in dispute between A and B. I would steer clear of getting stuck in any existing issue.

Yes we'll definitely make an effort to keep our tree maintained.

Unsure what to do re: the Leylandii - leaning towards asking B to trim it back each year, but they're both very obsessive about this issue it'll probably backfire somehow.

I think your tree looks nice, the Leylandii looks a mess though.

If you like the shade from it though then there's no need to ask the neighbour to trim it, they do get really huge though and it could be a problem in a few years.

OP, Redolent, you really need to sort your marker pen out as I can easily read the identifying stuff you’ve tried to blank out.

If the tree grows over his boundary then he can cut it back. Otherwise it needs leaving alone. The tree is more important than his garden suntan. Trees are important and we don't have enough of them. If you dont care either way, dont get involved, he will find other things to get you involved in and you'll just end up with one neighbour pissed off with you and another pissing you off.

Hi OP

Just letting you know that personal information was clearly visible in the images attached so we've removed them now. Feel free to re-upload with the necessary edits.

Leylandii won't grow back if you cut back as for as the brown wood. So it makes sense to cut it back regularly into the green so it will regrow.

If you leave it 5 years until you feel it's too intrusive, then cutting it back far enough will leave you with a mass of dead branches.

But do this for you not for neighbour A.

Keep out of AxB. Let them sort it out together. There isn't any legal right to light into your garden.

www.gov.uk/how-to-resolve-neighbour-disputes/high-hedges-trees-and-boundaries

Trees and hedges aren't supposed to be more than 2m high in small surburban gardens like this, for a very good reason- the roots can undermine the adjacent houses. Have a look at the gov.uk guidance I've posted.

As I have a similar, yet very different situation, with a back neighbour's Laurel Hedge and, as my immediate neighbour is also affected but not overly-invested as it's their 2nd Home and they're not too concerned.

I do rather think that if my immediate neighbour lived there all the time then they would be more invested in how the Back Neigbour's Laurel Hedge affected both our Properties.

But that isn't actually my problem because the Owner of the Laurel Hedge Property is perfectly happy for me to trim his Laurel Hedge - it's just the Tenant of the Property gets Arsey and threatening.

I know I have to go and do it, because Arsey Tenant won't, but I have to prime myself for an argument I'd much rather not have and would rather I had my immediate neighbour by my side for 'support'. Who, by the way, are very happy when they turn up to trimmed hedge and 'light' when they do visit.

Anyway OP, many thanks, I considered writing polite letters to all concerned but now I know they could be misconstrued as me being a wierdo, etc.

So I'll just hoik my big girls' pants up, climb the ladder and cut back the hedge. I'm going to suffer some sort of consequences no matter what I do - so I may as well trim the hedge and be damned.

@MereDintofPandiculation

Leylandii won't grow back if you cut back as for as the brown wood. So it makes sense to cut it back regularly into the green so it will regrow.

If you leave it 5 years until you feel it's too intrusive, then cutting it back far enough will leave you with a mass of dead branches.

But do this for you not for neighbour A.

Keep out of AxB. Let them sort it out together. There isn't any legal right to light into your garden.

Is that true about when Leylandi is back to brown wood, a neighbour has just cut hers back to about 5 feet high brown trunks and I have gained back my lovely view. I would be so happy to think that they won't grow back!

Oops, thanks for removing. First time I’d tried to mark up on my phone. Take 2.

Thanks for the information all...hmmm

^