One for the legal bods...

[magnatom]

We'll be moving house soon, and the garden that we are moving to has some trees (Leylandii, I think) at the end of the garden (they are very tall!).

We plan to remove the trees in our garden.

The garden backs onto another garden, and it is obvious that the people backing on to us, don't look after their garden. They als have some Leylandii on their side of the boundary. They overhang our garden by a good few feet.

We want to enjoy the full size of our garden and so want to place a 6 foot fence at the end, where the trees currently are.

Our first approach will be to offer to remove the tree from their garden at our cost if they want them removed (they may not). Our next offer will be to trim our side back to the boundary (can we do this legally in Scotland? Do we need their approval?) at our cost.

Does this all seem reasonable? Hopefully they will be ok about this. If not, I just need to know where we stand.

 

[Landslide]

Leylandii?

Take off and nuke the entire site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.

 

[domtyler]

Will you be able to see into each others bedrooms once you have chopped them down?

They may just have been planted there for a good reason!

 

[Davidc]

All you need is a pure copper nail (or screw) .........

and about 6 months

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Isn't there a scottish phrase 'to go on fire' ?

 

[domtyler]

I don't think the copper nail trick actually works unfortunately. Injecting Diesel should do the trick.

 

[meenaghman]

There's some advice here on Pruning the trees..
http://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/Planning/sl_pla/pla_trees_disputes.asp
basically you can prune but the branches you prune belong to your neighbour who must direct you as to what they want doing with them.

 

[meenaghman]

Btw if you're moving to a conservation area, then beware as the trees (even though they may have been planted privately) may be subject to a conservation/preservation order and so permission from council needs to be sought.. daft I know, but MIL had to get permission to cut down a tree in her own garden, even though she planted it herself about 30 years ago.

 

[magnatom]

There will be no diesel and no nuking! If I'm moving into the area, it's generally a good idea to be nice to your neighbours!

Thanks for the link meenaghman. That is what I thought. It isn't a conservation area, so no problems there.

The neighbours house is a bit of a mess, i.e. they haven't looked after it much. That in itself isn't a problem for us as they are far enough away for privacy (once a fence is erected) and they have enough other bushes that you won't see through. Obviously I'll be approaching them first. But it's good to know where you stand just in case.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Obviously I'll be approaching them first.

Wear your running shoes!

 

[magnatom]

Wear your running shoes!

Nah, a secret camera of course!

 

[dellzeqq]

keep it zipped....
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1495633/The-garden-sprinkler.html

 

[PK99]

We'll be moving house soon, and the garden that we are moving to has some trees (Leylandii, I think) at the end of the garden (they are very tall!).



Our first approach will be to offer to remove the tree from their garden at our cost if they want them removed (they may not). Our next offer will be to trim our side back to the boundary (can we do this legally in Scotland? Do we need their approval?) at our cost.
.

Not a legal response but a horticultural one :

Lelyandii do not EVER regrow once you cut mature plants back into the brown inner area. If you cut back you will forever be looking at an ugly brown wall

 

[MrRidley]

I'm sure if you give them an autograph and maybe let them have a picture taken with you, they would bow to your wishes after all it's not everyday a "celeb" knocks on their door

 

[dellzeqq]

Not a legal response but a horticultural one :

Lelyandii do not EVER regrow once you cut mature plants back into the brown inner area. If you cut back you will forever be looking at an ugly brown wall

and digging them out is hard work. Why not cut down and dig out two in three and plant something in between? Then, when the hawthorn or beech or whatever has grown to a few feet you can get rid of the rest.