Overgrown Hedges and Trees bordering roads and paths. (Encroachment)

OVERGROWN HEDGES AND TREES BORDERING ROADS AND PATHS

Dear Parishioners,
You may not be aware that there are strict rules governing the growth of trees and hedging bordering paths and roads.

1. There should be clearance of at least 2.2m (7’ 2’’) above a footway, pavement, or verge to allow pedestrians free passage.

2. Hedges/vegetation should be cut back to the boundary line so as not to overhang or encroach onto the highway (meaning carriageway, footway or verge)

We realise that there are only a couple of months to go before all hedge cutting has to stop until 1st September but we would request that you check any of your boundaries to make sure that you are compliant with the above.

It is very easy for hedges to get thicker just by a little bit each year, despite being cut back regularly, to the extent that they eventually take up quite a lot of space on a pavement. That hedge may require some radical pruning to put it back where it should be. Indeed, your hedges may need more than one pruning session to keep them inside your boundary line.

All hedge/ tree cutting should be completed by 1st March.

NB Health and Safety take precedence so wherever there is a danger to the public caused by overgrown hedges they can be dealt with irrespective of date.

There is a process to be followed as shown below:

– If required, the Parish Council will send a letter to individual landowners to notify them that their hedges/trees need some remedial work.

– If the problem is not rectified then the matter would be passed to County Highways. They will then contact the Landowner to ask for that work to be done. If not completed within a certain time period they will undertake the work themselves and may then present a bill to the landowner.

CLICK HERE to download document in pdf.

Abberley Parish Council 2019