To build a fence and chop their hedge.

[Sportynotspice]

There's a laurel hedge between our garden and next doors and it's only 5 foot at its highest; the garden slopes towards the back so there are sections even shorter and we can see straight into next doors garden and theirs ours. We have asked them politely to allow us to grow the hedge up as we'd like more privacy but they have refused and continued to cut the hedge ever shorter. They have extra long hedge trimmers and cut our half as well because apparently the previous owners never kept it neat enough for their liking and never protested when they started taking over the trimming. We've been polite but very clear that we don't like the height and would like it to grow up an extra foot but they have once again cut it too short and cut our side. The hedge actually sits much more into our boundary than theirs so DH, who has reached his final straw after coming home to yet another few inches off the hedge tonight, has declared he's ordering fence panels this weekend, chopping the hedge back right to the boundary and putting up the fence. The hedge will look utterly rubbish on their side because of how little actually encroaches their side of the boundary so I said to DH maybe we should just build the fence from when the hedge finishes now but DH, rightly, points out that means we lose a foot of our garden because the hedge takes up so much space as it is. As we have tried to be reasonable with them, DH doesn't care about upsetting them by chopping back so much of the hedge.
We have only lived here 9 months and they have been here 20 years plus and their argument for not letting the hedge grow is this is how its always been and no one that's lived here before has ever had an issue with it. But this is our home now and I really don't think it's unreasonable to have a proper barrier between our garden and next doors!
I will go speak to them tomorrow to advise that this is what we are going to do but we're not asking permission, just informing as a courtesy. Are we being unreasonable? I don't think they've really left us much more choice.

The neighbourly relations you are trying to preserve have already been destroyed.

You already have the worst possible scenario: in essence, part of your land is under your neighbour's control and they like it that way.

The worst that would happen if you put up the fence is that your neighbour may fight for your boundary to officially become theirs. The other outcome is you get your privacy and it really wouldn't matter what the neighbours thought of you as you wouldn't see them anyway.

You need to decide how long you want to keep this property. If you are seeking in the next 2 years leave the boundary alone, avoid the official dispute which needs to be declared. If you plan to be there for 10 years plus and have kids jumping on trampolines being shouted at by the neighbours for merely existing, I'd erect the fence now.

@CherryMaple surely as long you don’t trim the hedge in nesting season, the birds will go elsewhere or just learn to get in from one side of the hedge?

Selling not seeking

@Monestera

I would leave the hedge. Just because hedges are so much nicer to look at than fences, support more wildlife, allow access for things like hedgehogs too

There is this to consider, plus the benefits of flood-alleviation and ambient temperature reduction.

Yes all of this, I'm so glad a couple of people at least have mentioned it.

Hedgehogs are really suffering because of the number of people installing secure fences with no ways for them to get from one garden to another during the night like they need to.

Would you consider discussing different options / compromises with them? If you really do feel in the end that a fence is the way to go, you can get them with hedgehog holes at least?

Great idea that someone else mentioned of planting trees in front of the hedge instead - will provide more privacy than a fence in the end anyway plus help wildlife. Plus be doing a small amount to slow down climate change which is always a good thing.

@BoxHedge

I would tell them first and let them make the decision, either they let it grow to 8 foot or you chop it down and put up a fence+trellis.

Presumably the nicest outcome for you would be a higher, thinner hedge. And they would also prefer this to a fence I would hope.

I think this is what I would do. One final chance. Show them you mean business, but equally puts the ball in their court. So any bad feelings are entirely their fault and they know if because they had a chance

Maybe putting a trampoline near the hedge might be a good option actually.or something else that might persuade your neighbours that.a higher boundary.is required.

I would definitely try to keep good relations though. Relationships with neighbours can become very toxic and ruin lives. If you've never been in this position, then please try to keep it that way.

There is a good boundary website www.boundary-problems.co.uk

the hedge should not be planted so near to the boundary, www.boundary-problems.co.uk/boundary-problems/hedges.html it should have been planted at a certain distance from the boundary

this is then a problem for your neighbours when you place a fence inside your boundary as their hedge is now in the way.

you have every right to erect a fence in your garden and unfortunately for them they do not have a right to stop you even at the detriment to your hedge

@Sportynotspice

I don't actually know who owns the hedge but 3/4 of it is on our land so does it matter if they own it? We're surely without our rights to tell them they can't store their hedge in our garden? We're not suggesting digging it up, just cutting it right back to the boundary line. They can keep the bit on their land.

3/4 could be on your land because it hasn’t been kept cut back the same as the neighbours.

We have hedges on two sides of our garden, our sides are much nearer to the boundary as I keep mine well groomed.

The hedge is also lower on my side than the neighbours as they are lower down on both sides than me.

Fortunately we are both happy with the height and can’t see into each other’s gardens.

Cutting it back to the boundary and sticking a fence up will be fine, their side will recover in time.

It's sad you have to cut the hedge, they are very important habitats. I can see why you feel driven to it though. Good luck

I would tell them first and let them make the decision, either they let it grow to 8 foot or you chop it down and put up a fence+trellis.

This would be the best option to give them the choice, at least then they have been warned rather than coming home to a wrecked hedge and fence

Won't the hedge just grow out, damaging your fence?

@SmokeyDevil

Let them know. They can't expect everything to stay the same constantly for their whole lives. People like this are mad. If they are that hateful of change, go live on a bloody island by themselves, then they have completely control.

In my experience, with neighbours who’ve been here far longer than me, it is all about control. They are proprietorial. I made the initial mistake of pussyfooting around them, which they saw as weakness, so skip that part. Be sure of your rights, tell them what you are going to do and do it.

I wouldn’t put it past mine to engineer a heart attack in an attempt to garner sympathy. They are a nasty devious pair of busybodies. I’m close to telling them a row of leylandii is going in and their garden will never see sunlight again.

@BoxHedge

I would tell them first and let them make the decision, either they let it grow to 8 foot or you chop it down and put up a fence+trellis.

Presumably the nicest outcome for you would be a higher, thinner hedge. And they would also prefer this to a fence I would hope.

I'd do this.

I'm with your dh. You're losing space in your garden and have no privacy. Cut it back to your boundary and put a fence up. You've already asked them not to cut it and they've ignored your request. There's nothing they can do about you putting a fence up on your own land

Laurel hedges are not important habitats or much use to wildlife -- trust me, there is cyanide in their leaves & maybe that's why they are wildlife deserts. We ripped ours out & planted a native species hedge instead.

Laurel is low maintenance, stays thick (visual barrier) year round & deters slugs which is nice, though.

Sounds like OP is being R -- I have seen local people do same sort of thing although often it's a matter of erecting a parallel fence when someone won't maintain fence on boundary they own (not a hedge issue).

@phishy It doesn’t really work like that. The birds spend all day living in the hedge, singing away. They’re sparrows, so nest in nearby rooves.

The hedge is like a wildlife corridor helping birds get from one garden to the next. They fly in at the back of the hedge, and then out at the front. We have birds of prey swooping over, and all the birds dash into the hedge. Without the hedge, we would have barely any small birds in the garden - and the family loves watching and feeding the birds. Also other creatures need to pass from garden to garden via hedges looking for food - a PP mentioned hedgehogs.

Writing this post makes me think please try and avoid the fence OP!

Here are some of the benefits of hedges - air pollution capture, flood mitigation, noise reduction as well as benefits to wildlife: www.rhs.org.uk

@lljkk Agree native species are better. We have hawthorn.

Planting native trees inside the existing hedge would help solve this.

To all the people saying 8 foot, the limit is 6 foot for a high hedge.

@CherryMaple but does it depend on the hedge you have? I always inspect my hedges before trimming them and have never noticed any birds.

I’ve been in my house 17 years and would be furious if my brand new neighbours changed something that has such a huge impact to both sides without discussion

Being the longest resident isn't some kind of trump card. I agree with pp, it's all about control. You have asked them to let your side grow and they have refused giving you only one alternative if you want privacy.

Can't get that link to work, here's another: www.rhs.org.uk/science/gardening-in-a-changing-world/environmental-projects/hedge-benefits

@EvenRosesHaveThorns

Are they a bit older? I.e. they might not be able to reach and manage a hedge that's high for them. Perhaps you could offer to maintain the hedge

The post says they have cut across the whole hedge and down the OP’s side - I’d say they’d be able to manage another foot or so in height and just manage their side of it if they so choose!!

The deeds will confirm who's responsible for maintaining the boundary, ie who is responsible for the cost of such.

You can do what you want upto the boundary regardless, if its your responsibility to maintain the boundary you can build the fence on it. If its theirs you can only go upto it. Therefore you can cutback and dig up any hedge and roots upto the boundary. If you have responsibility for the boundary you can put the fence on it and so remove roots and hedge upto and on the boundary. You can not remove roots etc on their side of the boundary and have no responsibility for it.

I'd be straight with them and tell them you want to grow the hedge, be clear they are not to cut the height, if they continue to do so you will cut back/dig up, upto/along the boundary. Explain you will still leave some hedge their side where possible so it will grow in front of the fence. Be straight explain you want more privacy and the current height of the hedge is not suitible hope that they are understanding. Neighbour disputes are a nightmare so good luck!

I'm in no way anti hedge and fully appreciate the importance of it for wildlife. But if they won't let us grow it up so we actually have some proper privacy what can we do? We would plant our own hedge (not laurel but something native more likely) in front of our fence but at least the fence would be there as a clear barrier and we wouldn't have to see them in their garden and feel overlooked in ours.