The High Hedge Legislation sets out a framework for the council to deal with complaints about neighbouring hedges. The council offers two services for people affected by a neighbour’s hedge;
- Initial Site Survey, and;
- Formal Complaint
The fee for Wirral Council dealing with your Formal Complaint is £350. This has been set to cover the cost of dealing with the complaint and any resultant legal action that may occur.
There may be circumstances where action will not be taken and the fee will not be refunded. The council recognises that paying £350 for a Formal Complaint that may result in no action being taken appears unfair in the circumstances.
Initial Site Survey
We offer an informal Initial Site Survey service that will give you our opinion so that you can make a more informed decision as to whether to proceed with a formal complaint. To meet the cost of this service, a fee of £199 is required.
If you wish to benefit from this service, please complete the Initial Site Survey application form and pay the application fee of £199 online.
We will survey the hedge from your garden and will write to you with our opinion on what action can be taken. We will not contact your neighbour.
Given the limited nature of this service, our opinion is given without prejudice to any future formal complaint application and there is no right of appeal. There is no requirement to demonstrate that you have consulted with your neighbour or entered into mediation.
Formal Complaint
A fee of £350 is payable upon submission of a formal complaint (regardless of whether you have already paid for an Initial Site Survey).
The council’s role is not to negotiate, but to make an impartial assessment of the impact of the hedge on the amenity of your property and to serve a Remedial Notice where necessary. We will survey the hedge from your garden and your neighbour’s garden, and all the information will be taken into consideration.
We will not accept a Formal Application if you do not provide evidence that you have attempted to resolve the dispute by reaching agreement with your neighbour. You must retain copies of any letters or correspondence between you and the hedge owner to submit with the application.
You should also consider involving an independent, impartial person to mediate between you and your neighbour if you do not get on or the dispute is long running.
If you wish to benefit from this service, please complete the Formal Complaint application form and pay the application fee of £350 online.
If you require any further information or advice, please contact the Planning Enforcement team via email at planningenforcement@wirral.gov.uk