National lockdown: please stay at home
Warrington is subject to the current national lockdown restrictions - please stay at home. For more more information about what this means, visit our coronavirus web pages.
National lockdown: please stay at home
Warrington is subject to the current national lockdown restrictions - please stay at home. For more more information about what this means, visit our coronavirus web pages.
You may be able to complain to us if your neighbour has a high hedge and you can’t resolve the problem between you. There is a cost for this service.
It's really important that you try to address the problem yourself before you complain to us.
If you haven’t done each of these first, we can’t accept your complaint. We’ll ask you for evidence, so keep a record of your attempts to resolve the issue informally.
When dealing with complaints about high hedges we have to work to the government’s regulations.
If you complain to us, it doesn’t mean that we can automatically order your neighbour to cut their hedge. We can order the hedge to be cut if it affects your ‘reasonable enjoyment’ but we decide this based on lots of different things, and each case is different.
There are some things the law doesn’t cover:
It’s not true that all hedges have to be below two metres, or that you have to get permission to grow a hedge over two metres. And we can’t automatically do anything if a hedge is over two metres.
We can only accept complaints about a hedges which are made up of at least two evergreen or semi-evergreen trees or shrubs, which are in a line with no big gaps in between. It must be at least two metres high and block out light to your home or garden.
You can complain whether you own or rent your home, but make sure you let your landlord know that you’re complaining to us.
Make sure you tell us as much information as possible, but keep it factual. A copy will be sent to your neighbour, and their landlord if they have one.
To complain you’ll need to include:
Make sure that your plan:
And if you’re complaining that the hedge blocks your light, make sure your plan:
You can email everything to environmental.health@warrington.gov.uk
You can also send your documentation to Environmental Protection, Warrington Borough Council, New Town House, Buttermarket Street Warrington, WA1 2NH.
A high hedge complaint costs £500, you must pay in advance before we can investigate. We can’t refund this fee.
You can pay by cheque to Warrington Borough Council, or by card over the phone: 01925 443322.
You can have someone complain on your behalf, such as a family member or friend, or you can use a professional adviser. This person will be our main contact, but they’ll still need to tell us your name and contact details - you can’t complain anonymously.
Get more information about high hedges, including how to resolve differences with your neighbour and how to complain, on the high hedges page on .GOV.UK.