Leylandii tree

[sprayer]

The man who lives in the house at the bottom of our garden has a leylandii Tree (not a hedge) that must be over 90 feet high that blocks sunlight to our property,
we politely asked him to trim the height of it last year but he has so far ignored our request, Last week we employed a TV aerial fitter to fit a freeview aerial in time for the digital switchover but he told us that it was impossible to get a signal due to the tree blocking the line of sight, I will ask him politely once more but is there anything I can do legally to make him reduce the height of the offending tree if he still ignores our request ?

[Postdog]

I believe Leylandii are not classed as trees, and so cannot be "protected"

Try your council for advice, or google around - I found this link which will give you a start.
http://www.tameside.gov.uk/planning/highhedges

[sprayer]

Thanks for your quick response Postdog, I should have said that I asked the local council for advice last year and they told me that as it was a SINGLE tree and not a hedge they could not get involved, but it seems crazy to me that a neighbour can block out your light and TV signal and not be responsible, after all I am not asking him to chop down the tree, just reduce the height...

[cassa333]

Try looking on gardenlaw.co.uk They are a font of information on there.

[Postdog]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4595727.st m http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4596685 .stm

2 more links - one specifically relates to trees, not a hedge.

I don't think your concil fully understood you and were just fobbing you off.

Can you not get your councilor (?) involved, if only for advice?

[PaulSabin]

If the reasons are sunlight or television signal I don't believe there is much you can do legally.

[buildersmate]

I agree - there is nothing you do.
Leylandii are 'classified as trees' - I really can't imagine what else they could be classified as!
But the High Hedges legislation applies to hedges and not to a single tree.

[Postdog]

I was only going by what I seemed to read, but if buildersmate says something, it's bound to be right.

[sprayer]

Thanx everybody for your answers,

[R1Geezer]

Go out at night and drill a series of holes into the trunk, fill the holes with amonia.

Or failing that just cut it down with a chainsaw, once it's down it's down!

[wendib]

Hello.
My mother has exactly the same problem but her 'bottom of the garden neighbour' has about 6 trees all blocking out daylight from my mums garden - also the roots are lifting her patio and green house ! I contacted the enviromental dept at my local council who told me to write to the chap requesting he reduce the trees to the legal height of 6', if no answer is forthcoming then write again requesting he reduce the height of the trees and maintain them at 6'. When I wrote the 2nd letter I also mentioned that I would 'invoke the high trees and hedges legislation' and that I had taken advice on this matter. BINGO ! He replied almost immediately and the tree surgeon is to start work on the trees tmr. Good luck.