I am fed up with neighbours hassling me about our tree

[Silosy]

We live in a terrace and there are a row of mature - as in 100+ year old trees - along all of our back gardens. They’re a mixture of sycamore and plane, all healthy all well kept.

The people living directly behind us and adjacent have moaned incessantly about our tree for the last 15 years.

‘It’s pushing our paving up.’
’It shades our patio between 4 and 5 in the summer.’
’Pigeons roost in it and shit on our garden.’
’Leaves fall in our garden.’
’It makes the ground level uneven.’

All of these are frankly nonsense arguments and I’ve pointed out on numerous occasions that the tree has been there longer than all of our houses, we ensure it’s maintained and if it was felled, the heave would cause more issues for them then its presence but no. I’ve had another whingeing message today telling me we ‘have to do something’ about the tree because the paving stones at the end of their garden which they laid over the roots of the tree are being pushed up.

What do you want me to do, exactly? Go back in time and advise you not to lay paving stones where tree roots are?

Before anyone posts it, the tree is not TPO’d and no, we can’t just get a TPO on it.

And no, I’m not going to fell it. I’m just ranting really.

sounds like you should just ignore them.

I think I’d get a really good camera pointing at the tree, to be honest. I wouldn’t trust people to not fell it themselves.

Why can't there be TPOs on the whole line of trees, on the basis of local history, local landscape and scenery or amenity, or wildlife interest etc.? i would do your best to protect them from people like this in the future. its very easy to apply to your local council for a TPO.
These neighbours are being ridiculous but at present they could chop off any part of the tree that overhangs their property, hence the need for a TPO. They would then need permission even to prune it.

Sounds like my psycho CF of a neighbour. Never be the one to keep neighbourly relations at cost to you as I guarantee CF neighbours don’t care because when they don’t get what they want so starts the abuse…..it is so pathetic how this neighbour behaves. This neighbour has tried desperately to get a reaction from me but I just laugh & walk away. The silence 🤫 is deafening 😂

I do worry a bit that they will cut the roots to save their bloody patio slabs (which are at the end of their garden by their shed, not even outside their back door) but there is no way of putting a camera that they wouldn’t see, sadly.

You should probably come to some agreement as technically they can chop off any branch or root that crosses the property line on to their property. They are then required by law to toss said branches/roots over the fence onto your property as the tree bits are your property.

The complaints are indicative of a tree that needs a good cutting back.

Maybe you could do some PR for the tree...

I did a 'trees are our friends' presentation for some primary school kids recently.. shall I send it to you??

Houses that have trees near them are cooler in the summer and warmer in winter.

I've got the same situation as your neighbours although I never complained. Finally, after years and years, they got tree people in to do a big cutting back, taking off about a third, and we took the opportunity to ask them to take away the major branches that hang over our garden. The difference has been brilliant - the sun now reaches that part of our garden (the only part that gets the sun in the pm) and there's no bird shit (which was really horrible) so we can sit there for the first time. Why can't you improve things for your neighbours without actually losing the tree?

I do not think their reasons are nonsense. They all sound quite plausible. The tree will be covering their garden in leaves with is annoying and unsightly. The overhanging branches will have loads of birds crapping over their garden. It sounds like the tree needs a good trim. I’m in agreement with your neighbour

We have that issue with the neighbours behind us. We have mature sycamores at the bottom of the garden. Three years ago a developer put a row of terraced houses on the derelict land behind us and next door. Those houses have tiny gardens, maybe 20 feet deep. We've had "concerns" raised by the owners of the two houses behind our garden re the size of the trees. My internal response is "you bought those houses knowing full well that there were trees in the garden behind you". So far I've managed to keep my mouth shut.

We did cut off a branch that was overhanging one of the gardens. I'm not cutting mature trees down though

Yep ! My mum has a huge conifer overhanging her fence and the bird shit is unreal. I think you sound abit unreasonable to be honest . Just because it’s not causing you any bother doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider the hassle it’s causing your neighbours. I’m sure if it was the other way around you wouldn’t want heaps of bird shit/leaves/no shade in part of your own garden meaning its unusable.

I have sympathy with your neighbours. We had similar and our lovely neighbours severely pruned a cherry free that is really too big for our teeny gardens. It needs doing again…. As lovely as it is, I really think it needs taking out as our patio is being badly effected.

The tree was there before both the OP and her neighbour were even born. So I’m not sure why any of this is the OP’s to sort - she didn’t plant the tree. The neighbours knew the tree was there when they bought their house.

Only an idiot paves directly over the roots of a big, established tree.

We have a huge tree in the neighbours garden backing onto us. Yes, we get bird shit, leaves, sticky sap and the occasionally branch falling down which limits what we can do in that part of the garden.

But the shade of the tree stops our garden frying in the summer when everyone else’s is parched. We still get a decent amount of sunlight.

And it’s always been there.

I sympathise. We have a large garden, as do our neighbours. We have a 300 year old ash in our garden and new neighbours moved in adjacent and expressed their concern about the tree and what would happen if the tree fell onto their newly erected summerhouse positioned beneath the tree and alongside their newly relocated oil tank.

I know we would be responsible if the tree fell but enjoyed questioning them as to why anyone would position their oil tank and summerhouse under a 300 year old tree.

Birds and leaves - imagine the horror!

If they'd rather have an arid, lifeless expanse of stone for a garden, couldn't they cut back the overhanging branches themselves? Rather than whingeing to you about it

Not true. They can cut anything over their boundary but not if it will harm or destabilise the tree. They also cannot throw anything over the fence as without the owner's permission, this is fly-tipping. They must OFFER the trimmings back, but the owner doesn't have to accept them.

"anything over the fence as without the owner's permission, this is fly-tipping"

Which is a civil dispute, not a crime, unless the house is owned by the council.

People, honestly!
Why did they buy a house with a tree at the bottom of the garden if they do not like it?
They will have to put a raised platform for their patio, if they want one dah!
And will they ask the other neighbours to fell theirs too?
They just need to enjoy the fresh air that the gorgeous tree makes for us all.
Some people are just thick!

You have absolutely no evidence that the tree needs "a good cutting back". ignorance like that is just a recipe for tree vandalism. Mature trees rarely should be "cut back" fyi.

Please ignore this @Silosy , this poster does not know what they are taking about. Neighbours are all owe to chop branches that cross into their property, the law does not require them to “chuck back over”, it does say they have to offer but if you refuse it’s up to them to dispose.
Also the right does not extend t roots, in fact if they damage the tree they may be responsible for losses arising from their actions ( subject to various factors).

I would write to them, once, recorded delivery setting out the tree is yours, how long it’s been there, how you maintain it and that action will be taken in response to damage. I would also stick up a camera, especially where they can see it as that’s half the deterrent value.

To be fair to your neighbours, sycamores are an absolute menace. Not all trees are equal and large trees absolutely do need looking after. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to get a tree surgeon in for a tidy up about every 3 years.

We do this for large trees on our property and the difference it makes is unreal.

Time to be more direct:

"I am not removing the trees, no matter how much you whine about them. End of discussion!"

"Hi neighbours, I'm sick of hearing you complain about the tree now. It's been going on for 15 years. I'm not sure what you expected would happen when you laid a patio over tree roots? Anyway, I'm no longer going to respond to any further tree-related complaints as I already maintain it properly and there is nothing to discuss."

Completely agree with this. My neighbour has a huge tree is a garden which is way too small. I actually quite like the shade provided but I suspect most people would hate it. It is (imo) pretty antisocial to allow your tree to significantly impact your neighbours.

If they are messaging you, you have some level of contact. As the weather gets nicer, why not see if you can get yourself invited over for a beer to sit in the nice shady bit provided by your tree. Then you can discuss their concerns with them, make them feel like they have been heard, and point out the consequences if anything happens to the tree.
If they view you as a friend who listens to them, they are less likely to do anything drastic.