High hedges complaint

If you live in private accommodation and have an issue with your neighbours high hedge and you have exhausted all other means of communication with them about getting it reduced in height, then you may qualify for the Council to assess the hedge under part 8 of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003.

A high hedge is defined as any two or more evergreen or semi-evergreen trees or shrubs growing next to each other which are taller than two metres.

Enquiries about one individual tall tree will not be considered as a high hedge. You can ask the landowner if they will consider reducing the height of the tree.

It will be up to the landowner whether they choose to have the height of the tree reduced, dependant on the legal status of the tree.

If a council tenant has inherited a high hedge the hedge will be removed. Council tenants should not plant vigorous conifer hedges in their gardens.

Request works to a council owned tree or high hedge

Use this form to request work to a council owned tree of high hedge.

Before you fill in this form

You won't be able to save this form to complete later, so please allow yourself up to five minutes to fill in the form.

Request works to a council tree or high hedge

Complain about a privately owned high hedge

Contacting the council and making a high hedges complaint should be seen as a last resort if all other options to resolve the dispute have been unsuccessful.

Government leaflets about making a high hedges complaint
High hedges complaint guidance notes

Print the high hedge complaint form and the £500 fee (reduced in certain circumstances) should accompany the complaint form.

Download the high hedge complaint form

What happens next

If the complaint is registered the council will inform both the complainant and the hedge owner. A tree officer will visit and assess the hedge. Following this a decision will be made.

The council has two options:

The council can issue a letter stating no further action will be taken
The council can serve a Remedial Notice on the hedge owner

The council will inform both the complainant and the hedge owner of the reasons for this decision. The decision can be appealed to the Planning Inspectorate