Complain about a high hedge

Before you complain to us, you must try to resolve the issue with your neighbour.

You can check GOV.UK for advice about resolving disputes about high hedges.  

Eligibility

To complain about a high hedge, the hedge must be:

• growing on someone else’s land
• affecting a domestic property
• made up of two or more plants
• evergreen or semi-evergreen
• more than two metres in height from ground level
• obscuring light or views     

We will not consider your complaint if:

• you can't prove you have taken all reasonable steps to settle the dispute (we will expect to see recent evidence of you attempting this, which should cover a period of three months)
• the hedge is less than two metres high
• the hedge is consists of a single plant
• the hedge is not evergreen or semi-evergreen
• the hedge is causing subsidence

How to complain

To make a complaint, you need:

• your name, address and contact details
• the contact details for the owner of the hedge
• information about the hedge and its location, including photos and a location plan
• to outline all the steps you have taken to settle the dispute by negotiation, with copies of relevant correspondence or other papers
• to pay the £300 charge 

What happens next

Once we receive your complaint, we will:

• acknowledge your complaint within three working days
• invite your neighbour to set out their case
• carry out a site visit to view the hedge and its surroundings
• take measurements of the hedge, the garden and the distance of the hedge from your house
• decide if the hedge adversely affects the reasonable enjoyment of your garden and what should be done about it

We will issue this decision within 12 weeks of starting our investigation.

How to appeal

You can appeal a planning decision if you disagree with it. Before you appeal, you should contact us so that we can explain why we made that decision.

The Planning Inspectorate deals with all appeals, and you need to lodge your appeal with them. You can find more information about appealing a planning decision on GOV.UK.

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