High Hedges Part 8 of the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003, which gives local authorities powers to deal with complaints about high hedges.
Provided all other ways of resolving a hedge dispute have been tried and exhausted, you can take your complaint about a neighbour's evergreen hedge your Council. The role of the Council will be to judge whether the hedge is adversely affecting the complainant's reasonable enjoyment of their property. The Council will take account of all relevant factors and strike a balance between the interests of the complainant and the hedge owner.
Where circumstances justify it, the Council will issue a formal notice on the hedge owner which will set out what they must do to the hedge to remedy the problem and when by. Failure to carry out the works required by the Council is an offence which could lead to a fine of up to £1000. Once a notice is served the owner of the hedge must comply with it by retaining the hedge at or below the specified height as long as that hedge remains. Failure to do so could lead to fines and/or the council undertaking the works and recharging the tree owner.
There are a number of conditions that must be met before a complaint is accepted.
Further information and guidance - Over the garden hedge (1MB) - is available from the Communities and Local Government website. (external website**)
You can download a High Hedges Complaint form (151KB) and guidance notes (128KB) here. Before submitting a complaint you must be satisfied that you have a case and that you have made sufficient effort to resolve the dispute. It would be advisable to read High Hedges: complaining to the Council (395KB) , a leaflet produced by the Department for Communities and Local Government and discuss the case with the Arboricultural Officer before submitting a complaint.
A fee of £500 is required along with the complaint form. This is to cover the council’s costs for the initial investigation and subsequent action, including legal proceedings if necessary, required to maintain hedge at designated height.
**Please note: High Peak Borough Council is not responsible for the content of any external websites.