High hedges on residential properties

High hedges on your neighbour's property can affect your enjoyment of your home and garden by obstructing access and blocking light.

If you are troubled by your neighbour's hedge, the first step to take is to try to resolve the issue with them. Guidance on resolving a hedge dispute is available on the GOV.UK website.

Report a high hedge

If you feel you have exhausted all avenues for resolving the issue on your own, then under Part B of the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003, you can report a high hedge to us. The affected property must be residential and must own or be a tenant of the property to bring a complaint.

For the complaint to be justified, the hedge must be:

• more than two metres high
• growing on land owned by someone else
• made up of a line of two or more trees/shrubs
• mostly evergreen or semi-evergreen
• obstructing light or views – even if there are gaps in the foliage or between the shrubs/trees

The fee to report a high hedge is £489 (reduced to £117 for people receiving 100% Council Tax Reduction). This covers the cost of investigating the issue and any action taken.

To report a high hedge, first contact enquiries@threerivers.gov.uk to request a form. Return your completed form by email. You will then need to pay for your high hedges application.

If we consider the complaint justified, we will issue a formal notice to the hedge owner with instructions on what they need to do to remedy the problem. If they fail to carry out the required work, we can issue a fine of up to £1,000.