To think you can’t just cut someone’s bushes down?

[FenceFiasco2000]

We’ve been out this morning and come home to all the greenary that made the back of our house private gone and the fence hanging off.

Weve been round the back and there is a wall sperating the two properties so even if it was growing onto their fence there is no need to have touched our part. No one has been round to speak to us.

Picture one is our view before. Picture two now and the others is the mess in our graden plus the space around the back.

Where we stand with this and what would you expect them to do.

If it’s relevant, ours is private, the house at the back is housing association and empty.

But they’re clearly not growing in your garden so it’s nothing to do with you.
We had a neighbour throw an epic tantrum (and get her father round) when we had the nerve to cut down a honeysuckle that we had planted and was in our garden but grew on our trellis between our gardens which had become woody and unmanageable. She threatened legal action and all sorts but we had warned her beforehand there would be a temporary loss of privacy for both of us, but she threw her toys out of the pram. It was quite amusing to see an adult behave so badly. She then put up a fence inside her boundary but tried to attach it to ours and we gave her short shrift for doing that.

It's ivy, it will have rooted everywhere it touches the ground, and it'll grow back really quickly. It's almost impossible to kill.

If you want you could ring the HA and ask them not to cut plants growing on your fence in future so it doesn't happen again. I expect they thought the ivy was coming from the HA side and that they were doing the right thing because ivy will damage your fence.

I'd be annoyed about the mess and loss of privacy too, I don't think it would be unreasonable to ring them and let them know that and ask them to please not do it again.

If the roots are on their side they can do what they like.
I suggest you grow your own honeysuckle or whatever on your side.

They'll just trim their side which will promote growth on your side.

@GrannyAchingsShepherdsHut if the plants originate from the HA aside of the fence they can do whatever they want irrespective of whether they are attached to the OPs fence . They are not responsible for the OPs privacy .

Tbh it looked very tatty anyway. Ivy is a menace

Just get your own plants climbing up there and it'll be lovely by summer.

A clematis or climbing rose will have that fence covered by next year and look glorious.

They did the right thing.

The plants were over growing into your garden and they sorted it out, most people would be relieved.

Just plant your own on your side and the you can do what you want with it.

You can even buy fake stuff if you’re not a gardener.

I hate to break it to you but your garden is very overlooked by the neighbouring properties anyway ivy or no ivy from that last picture.

It hasn't really affected your privacy. You can see out a bit more now but people are not going to start staring in just because they can see through the trellis now. Plant a few trees on your side & it will help.

It is quite unusual to have trellis only as your boundary. It naturally won't be as strong or give you as much privacy a a fence. If you can afford it, I would tie down the trellis and replace it with a fence. That would solve the immediate loss of privacy. Then you could choose what to grow up the fence (on your side!) or just stain it

Hopefully they checked for nesting birds before they started cutting .

Nesting season starts in March and birds are protected

Well time to get interested in gardening! It's not exactly un fixable.

My dsis had a similar thing with their back fence (new build no plants). She bought a roll of either bamboò/ willow type and has covered her fence ( and above) with it.
Looks lovely from their side, prob not so much from the other side which backs onto it.

The trellis is attached to a fence, it’s just not as high as the trellis.

They have done you a favour and saved you a job

Simple fix

Update for anyone who is interested.
The housing association have cut back the rest of the greenery, taken away the mess and replaced the trellis.

Looks good! Have they advised re growing plants on it again?

No and not sure they can advise as it’s our fence. We haven’t decided what to do with it yet.

I would get clematis and honeysuckle and grow them from your side. They'll spread very quickly and soon fill the gaps

Looks much better, I'd get some pretty climbers up there if I were you.