Neighbour's Leylandii

C

Cheese

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My neighbour's 40ft high conifers run about 30 meters along our boundary and block the sun from my garden. I've told them this but they're not interested. I believe I could cut branches that overhang to my side but it would be too expensive. Does anybody know what the law is regarding these light blockers? Is there legislation here as in England? I put these questions to the city council, who had no idea, but said a tree surgeon might know! Thanks!
 
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Same problem here. There should be a tax on having tall trees in your garden
 
Why not cut off all the branches you can reach on your side of the garden? This may kill them or make them unstable so that your neighbour will have to cut them down.
I would also recommend planting a fast growing creeper against them as this will also kill them in time.
 
Nothing kills these things. They are like cockroaches. Ugly and indistructable .
 
these things are evil. They should be made illegal.
they are non native to ireland and hence very few native irish insects birds etc will live in / off them comapred to say an oak or and ash. the acidity they cause to soil is devasting, especially on already acidic soil as it speeds up a process called Leeching, where all the nutrients are washed down from the upper levels of the soil where they are of little use.

to kill any tree-cut a ring right around the base of the trunk about a foot in height and enough to strip the bark right back. this prevents food from the roots in the form of sugars and starchs reaching where its needed-but if theyre not your trees I wouldnt go with this.well, I might but.....

I have heard suggestions of "accidently" letting diesel spill in and around the trees roots on this forum before. please dont do this as all the soil organisms that have managed to survive will die.

Cut whats on your side. dont be cutting costs by leaning a ladder against the tree and climbing on up there with a chainsaw. get someone whos qualified to do it. you'd be amazed at the damage these boys can do to human flesh. and how easy it is.trust me.

your best bet is proving that the trees are proving to be a health and safety problem to you, your family or you house , shed etc. are leaning over your house? are the roots breaking up a nearby wall, patio, shed founds? could the lack of light be causing depression? be creative.

Can u suggest you go halves on the cost of getting them trimmed?

that creeper idea wont work either, itll just compound your problem.

as for tax on trees? Eh, what the hell is that? its not the trees that are the problem....its the people who plant the wrong tree in the wrong place that are at fault.
 
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the other thing about conifers is that they take a lot of moisture out of the ground and hence make gardens very dry and can kill off grass. The roots will surely cause problems if the get into your wall and house foundations
 
Cheese, I have previous experience as a tree surgeon and dealt with this issue on a regular basis. I would strongly urge you not to take the advice on 'Poisoning' or 'Girdling' the trees in question, as this could result in a prosecution being brought against you.

My advice to you instead would be 1. to confront your neighbour and attempt to get a compromise with regard to the offending trees. In my experience the tree owner is often unwilling to pay for tree surgery work, but much more agreeable when a contribution is made by its neighbour/neighbours. 2. Failing this, I would recommend you to get a profeesional assessment of the trees by a qualified arborist. This report can add strength to your case and in alot of cases prompt the treeowner to address your grievances Re.trees. 3. Finally, if both the above options prove unsuccesful I would recommend taking legal action against your neighbour on the grounds of a. continuous shading of property, b. trespass of rooting and possible interference/damage to underground utilities, c. safety concerns surrounding their height and threat to your property in the event of collapse.
Hope the above is helpful.
 
Cheese, One thing i forgot to mention in the above.... if some of your neighbours are also affected by the offending trees I would try to persuade them to add their voice to your current situation. Not all neighbours may be prepared to do this, but even adding one or two voices to your case could be enough to get the required action.
 
Thanks all for the advice. My neighbour has made it clear that she will not spend a penny on the trees. Her neighbours on the other side had the same problem and got her permission to cut the trees but they had to pay all and it cost almost €1,000. I've no intention of doing that and there would be far too much grief in taking her on so I'll put up with them. My garden is affected more than my house, which is about 30 mtrs away.
 
ok cheese...............bash the hell out of the vegetation thats encrouching on your property.

best of luck
 
Gaz said:
I would recommend taking legal action against your neighbour on the grounds of a. continuous shading of property, b. trespass of rooting and possible interference/damage to underground utilities, c. safety concerns surrounding their height and threat to your property in the event of collapse.
Hope the above is helpful.
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Lots of useful advice there. As a matter of interest do you know of anyone winning such a case and if so what are the likely costs?
 
pat127, in my experience disputes between neighbours on boundary hedgerows are very common indeed, largely due to the emotional attachment of people to their trees.

In my experience those who take the legal route to resolve their dispute in most cases pay a heavy cost both emotionally and financially. But to answer your question, yes I know of a number of people who have won such cases. If successful, they generally receive a contribution to their legal costs and trees are either heavily reduced or removed altogether. But it is worth re-iterating this route can be a long and protracted affair, and my advice would be to take this approach only after you have exhausted all other options. Hope that answers your question.
 
Gaz said:
pat127, in my experience disputes between neighbours on boundary hedgerows are very common indeed, largely due to the emotional attachment of people to their trees.

In my experience those who take the legal route to resolve their dispute in most cases pay a heavy cost both emotionally and financially. But to answer your question, yes I know of a number of people who have won such cases. If successful, they generally receive a contribution to their legal costs and trees are either heavily reduced or removed altogether. But it is worth re-iterating this route can be a long and protracted affair, and my advice would be to take this approach only after you have exhausted all other options. Hope that answers your question.
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Thanks Gaz.
 
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