School at the back of my house

[bloomingbtambles]

Our end terrace house backs on to a school, there is a narrow alleyway at the back to give access to the other gardens and a 6 foot wire fence between the alley way and the school.

There is a line of trees in the school grounds which have got bigger & bigger so it goes in a cycle we and other neighbours complain to the school, eventually they get cut back and then it starts again. For another few years.

So over the summer we have been emailing, all the lower level brambles and sampling's have grown up & over the summer there was a solid wall of shrubbery about a metre from my fence, with the trees above them

The school have come back saying no money in the budget etc etc so today I'm working from home & realise they have workmen at the back who have cut pathways through the undergrowth and are replacing the fence. So I'm straight out there (in my slippers ) asking if they will cut more down!

They refused - 'in this day and age the school needs privacy, the school don't like us to be able to see the children! '

So I quickly email the school and say look the workmen are there, the fence is down please let them cut down some more undergrowth! It was passed to the headmaster apparently but it's too fucking late now the fence is back up the fucking undergrowth is still higher than 6ft in places!

Where would you go with this? Is there anywhere I can complain too?

That's long sorry!

I was hoping they would disappear for lunch so I could get in there with my loppers! So bloody frustrating!

Not sure I can picture it. Is your complaint about bushes growing through the wire fence on to the path? Did they cut it all back to the fence line?

If its on your side of the fence just cut it yourself.

It's the height of them, we have trees that are taller than the house, then sampling's and brambles that have grown underneath the trees, higher than their fence & higher than mine, we'd cut everything we could back to the wire,.
Hold on I'll post a picture!

My grey fence that you can see is 6ft

i dont think you are going to get anywhere with that. Sorry.
Id say, school was there when you bought it, if you dont like it you need to move.
Probably not helpful, but maybe realistic

Here's one from the upstairs bedroom window after they had finished.

Are the trees blocking your light? Otherwise isn't it good to have that buffer between you and the school? I can also see what the school are saying that they don't want people over looking their grounds, maybe some parents have raised the issue.

But that was 25 years ago! The trees were smaller and then there was grass!
Not a forest of sampling's & brambles!

Surely the school should have a maintenance program?

If it's affecting your light, or the over hang is in anyway dangerous, yiu can contact environmental health at your local council

Well maybe they should have put a solid fence up then?

Yes, they are affecting our light and in the places the branches actually come over my garden, although way too high for us to be able to cut even with a ladder!

@bloomingbtambles ignore negative comments, they don't have to live with it. Just contact the council EHL, sounds like it's something they will deal with & force schools hand

Good luck

Write to the Tree Officer at the local council and ask them to come out and have a look at the problem. They will be able to advise you on what can be done, and by whom.

I'll try environmental health thank you.

I've been cross about it all summer but understanding that they might not have the money in the current situation but blow me- it wasn't about money at all!

I will also say that they aren't right at the end of a long garden they are about 6m from my back door!

I’d much rather look at that than be able to see into school grounds (and vice versa).

However, could you get your own tree surgeon and just get school to give you the ok to cut them, assuming the boundary belongs to the school. Probably more expedient than waiting for them to approve the cost.

I can't see into the school grounds from downstairs and from my garden I have a 6ft fence - that wall of green is above the 6ft fence!

I don't want them cutting down, they are beautiful, I love the birds and squirrels , I was just asking for some lower level light between the 6ft fence and the 20 metre trees!

Schools are so cash strapped I can't see this being their priority and that's the issue. Big priority for you, not for them. When the workmen were there that would have been a good opportunity but maybe the price they paid didn't cover that being included.
Could you offer to do it for them, with their permission, given how much stress it's causing you it might be less painful? Not how it should be, but there's what should be and then there's reality.

I'm getting arsey now - sorry it's been a very frustrating day!

I actually thought they were clearing some undergrowth in response to our emails!

The face that they were just changing the fence was just too much for me!
Sorry!

When I read the first few lines I was honestly expecting a picture of my mums street, as she's in exactly the same position only with maple trees.

As PPs, you need to speak with the council. They will need proof that you have tried to engage with the school to deal with the problem, and evidence of any solutions from the school have been suggested. In my mums case, the school did used to cut them back but now they say the same as yours, no budget, requirement of privacy etc. They accept that my mum can cut back the overhanging branches, but the problem is the height which is causing considerable shading, so this wouldn't resolve the issue.

The only route now for my mum is solicitors, and this will be expensive by all accounts. My mum actually slipped and fell whilst clearing up the maple leaves last winter and the school said it wasn't their problem as she is responsible for maintaining her property

I work in Environmental Health and we wouldn't deal with this. You want planning. Enquire about a section 215 notice.

Top I get that hence I've been understanding, today the fence was down there were 20 blokes with electric tree loppers cutting pathways through to put up a new fence - total additional cost 0!

The trees were smaller and then there was grass!

Umm… you do know trees grow, right?

We have a similar load of trees at the back of our fence. I’m struggling to see what the problem is.

Isn't the rule on hedges - which this is - 7ft or something?

If they are growing into the alley and causing any kind of obstruction or at a height bits might poke into people’s eyes etc, the council will make them cut them back