High Hedge Assessments
A tall evergreen hedge next door can take the light from a garden and the house behind it, and it rarely gets smaller on its own. Where talking hasn't worked, the law provides a route through the council — but the outcome turns on evidence: whether the hedge qualifies, how much light it actually takes, and what reduction it could survive.
Urban Tree Management provides independent arboricultural assessments for high hedge disputes — for neighbours making a complaint, hedge owners responding to one, and either side on appeal.
How the Law Works
Part 8 of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 lets the owner or occupier of a domestic property complain to the local council where a neighbour's high hedge is adversely affecting their reasonable enjoyment of it.
To qualify, the hedge must be:
- A line of two or more trees or shrubs
- Wholly or mainly evergreen or semi-evergreen
- More than two metres high
- Acting as a barrier to light or access, even if there are gaps
Before a council will consider a complaint, the complainant has to show they have taken reasonable steps to resolve it with the neighbour first. Most councils charge a fee to determine a complaint, set locally.
If the council upholds the complaint, it issues a remedial notice setting out what the hedge owner must do and by when. It cannot require the hedge to be cut below two metres or removed, and the Act doesn't cover roots or deciduous hedges. Either side can appeal the council's decision to the Planning Inspectorate.
For the wider position on neighbours' trees and hedges, see
tree boundary and neighbour disputes.
Where Arboricultural Evidence Matters
Councils assess high hedge complaints using government guidance, Hedge Height and Light Loss, which sets out a method for working out the height at which a hedge starts to cause a significant loss of light to windows and gardens — taking account of the hedge's height, its distance from the property, its orientation, and the size of the garden.
The numbers matter, but so does what the hedge actually is and what it will tolerate:
- Does it qualify? Species, whether it's genuinely evergreen or semi-evergreen, whether it's a line rather than individual trees, and its real height. These are often the first points in dispute.
- How much light does it take? Measured height and distance, orientation, and the effect on windows and garden, worked through properly rather than estimated.
- What can it survive? This is the arboricultural question most disputes miss. Leylandii and several other conifers don't regrow from old brown wood — cut back too hard, and the hedge is left as a line of bare stems that never greens up again. A reduction that complies with a notice but kills the hedge serves nobody. Timing matters too: work during the bird nesting season risks an offence under wildlife legislation.
- Is anything protected? If the hedge contains trees covered by a Tree Preservation Order, or sits in a conservation area, works may need consent or notice regardless of a remedial notice. See our guide to protected trees.
For Neighbours Making a Complaint
A complaint backed by measured evidence is far stronger than one based on how dark the garden feels. We assess whether the hedge falls within the Act, measure its height and position, work through the effect on your windows and garden using the government method, and set out a reduction that would address the problem — in a report you can submit with your complaint.
Where the evidence suggests the hedge doesn't qualify, or the effect is less than you thought, we'll tell you before you pay the council's fee.
Appeals
Where either side disagrees with the council's decision or the terms of a remedial notice, an appeal goes to the Planning Inspectorate within a strict time limit. We review the council's assessment, the measurements and the calculation behind it, and prepare the arboricultural evidence for the appeal — and tell you honestly beforehand whether the evidence supports it.
What You Receive
- Confirmation of whether the hedge falls within Part 8 of the Act
- Species identification and measured height along the hedge
- A light loss assessment using the Hedge Height and Light Loss method
- An assessment of what reduction the hedge can tolerate, and when it should be done
- A check for TPO or conservation area protection
- A written report suitable for submission to the council or the Planning Inspectorate
Carried out by Carl Riva, Dip Arb (ABC) Level 6, MArborA. Consultancy only — we don't cut hedges. We act for complainants and hedge owners alike, and a conflict check is carried out before every instruction so we never act on both sides of the same dispute.
FAQ
Does my neighbour's hedge count as a high hedge?
If it's a line of two or more mainly evergreen or semi-evergreen trees or shrubs, over two metres high, and it acts as a barrier to light or access, it can. Single trees and deciduous hedges are outside the Act.
Can the council make my neighbour cut the hedge down?
No. A remedial notice can require the hedge to be reduced and maintained, but not cut below two metres or removed.
Can a leylandii hedge be cut back hard?
Not safely beyond the green foliage. Leylandii won't regrow from old brown wood, so a reduction that goes too far can leave it permanently bare. That's why the reduction needs specifying, not just a target height.
Does the high hedges law cover roots?
No. Root damage falls outside the Act and is dealt with as a nuisance matter instead.
Title or QueDo you act for both sides?stion
We act for complainants and hedge owners, but never both in the same dispute. A conflict check is done before every instruction.
High Hedge Assessments — Greater Manchester & the North West
Whether you're making a complaint, defending one or appealing a decision, the outcome turns on evidence. We provide it independently — and tell you honestly where it points.
Get in contact with our highly experienced and personable team of arboricultural consultants today, to discuss your requirements and to obtain your zero obligation quotation.
