All light to garden blocked by a tree

[Huskyman]

Hi,

I am after a little help here with a problem neighbour who has a garden that looks like something off stig of the dump and a stupid 55ft evergreen tree in their garden. Last load of hassle with them involved getting a toilet removed from the garden....
This tree takes away a lot of light into the garden and poses a risk to my house. What are my options?

Any help greatly appreciated.

[TooMany2cvs]

Huskyman said:

I am after a little help here with a problem neighbour who has a garden that looks like something off stig of the dump and a stupid 55ft evergreen tree in their garden. Last load of hassle with them involved getting a toilet removed from the garden....
This tree takes away a lot of light into the garden and poses a risk to my house. What are my options?

Any help greatly appreciated.

You have no legal right to light - it simply doesn't exist. The tree may even be under a TPO - have you checked?

How long have you lived there, and how much has the tree grown in that time?

[pheasant]

Copper roofing nails, around as much of the circumference as you can, but remove the flat heads so no one can see them.

[Red Devil]

TooMany2cvs said:

You have no legal right to light - it simply doesn't exist.

True. However what you haven't mentioned is easements.

http://www.rics.org/uk/knowledge/consumer-guides/r...
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Will4/2-3/71
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploa...

TooMany2cvs said:

How long have you lived there, and how much has the tree grown in that time?

Good questions. However, re the first point it's the property which benefits from the easement, not any particular owner.
Naturally growing items (hedges and trees) can become a knotty problem for everyone involved.

[Riley Blue]

Likely to cause some needle.

[CAPP0]

pheasant said:

Copper roofing nails, around as much of the circumference as you can, but remove the flat heads so no one can see them.

Is this a solution which will genuinely work, and for any species of tree? How many nails are typically needed to be effective?

[treehack]

CAPP0 said:

Is this a solution which will genuinely work, and for any species of tree? How many nails are typically needed to be effective?

Just 1 will do, just needs to be a fractionally larger diameter than what you're hammering it into.

[TooMany2cvs]

CAPP0 said:

pheasant said:

Copper roofing nails, around as much of the circumference as you can, but remove the flat heads so no one can see them.

Is this a solution which will genuinely work, and for any species of tree? How many nails are typically needed to be effective?

You might like to look into the TPO question, to see if you're going to get into EVEN more legal bother than mere criminal damage.

[Mr GrimNasty]

Red Devil said:

TooMany2cvs said:

You have no legal right to light - it simply doesn't exist.

True. However what you haven't mentioned is easements.

http://www.rics.org/uk/knowledge/consumer-guides/r...
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Will4/2-3/71
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploa...

TooMany2cvs said:

How long have you lived there, and how much has the tree grown in that time?

Good questions. However, re the first point it's the property which benefits from the easement, not any particular owner.
Naturally growing items (hedges and trees) can become a knotty problem for everyone involved.

No chance in hell that kite will fly.

[BobSaunders]

pheasant said:

Copper roofing nails, around as much of the circumference as you can, but remove the flat heads so no one can see them.

Glyphosate sprayed onto foliage. However, it will be noticeable very quickly as it dies back - i.e. who/what side it was sprayed from.

Or, it you can get into and underneath/around the roots (you may have to drill and pour.. use "roundup". Copper sulphate also works - same as copper nails. Just quicker.

Creosote or diesel also has a similar effect if you can disperse it into the roots - but it smells.

However, you will then up with a dead 55foot tree. If the owners can not be bothered to cut it down, what makes you think they will bother to cut down a dead tree?

Also, you may make the base unstable - dead & rotting 55foot tree.. + couple of years + high winds.. etc.

Up to you - everything is freely available via the internet or b&q.

Sadly have had to do it in a patch of land that no one would take ownership for, it didn't have any orders, so agreed with the neighbours to reduce the height, and amount of foliage together. We used a tree surgeon for the mass majority, but saved money on removing stumps etc. Have subsequently planted some new smaller more future manageable trees instead.

[JMGS4]

Get a good wood drill, and after lifting up a bit of bark drill holes around 3" deep around the circumference of said tree, fill said holes with rocquefort cheese (live virus!) fold down the "flap" of bark, job done. Tree will be an ex-tree within a year....

[anonymous-user]

JMGS4 said:

Get a good wood drill, and after lifting up a bit of bark drill holes around 3" deep around the circumference of said tree, fill said holes with rocquefort cheese (live virus!) fold down the "flap" of bark, job done. Tree will be an ex-tree within a year....

The mental image that conjured up; especially one where the OP gets caught mid-stuff, made me choke on my drink.

[lostmotel]

DrSteveBrule said:

The mental image that conjured up; especially one where the OP gets caught mid-stuff, made me choke on my drink.

Reminded me of a certain strategy for destroying lawns. How to get back at your neighbours: stuff Roquefort cheese in their trunks

[Nimby]

JMGS4 said:

... rocquefort cheese (live virus!) ...

Bacteria, not virus. And I doubt that one evolved to ferment milk would survive long in a tree. If you want a biological approach, maybe honey-fungus?
Ring barking should work. Not sure how deep you need to go, or how to make it unnoticeable.

Lots of sites say the copper nails thing is a myth.

[Beetnik]

What's a beaver's preferred flavour of frozen sausage?

[dudleybloke]

Cordless drill and a decent spade bit, drill a couple of holes half way through from their side and fill with copper sulfate.

[Andehh]

Loving the idea of killing off the tree as if that will solve the problem. Now you have a massive dead tree as a huge eyesore, still mostly blocking the light with so many [dead] branches, and a ticking bomb for when stuff starts falling off the tree!

Sorry OP, set up a patio, string fairy lights everywhere and accept life in the shade!

[Elysium]

Huskyman said:

Hi,

I am after a little help here with a problem neighbour who has a garden that looks like something off stig of the dump and a stupid 55ft evergreen tree in their garden. Last load of hassle with them involved getting a toilet removed from the garden....
This tree takes away a lot of light into the garden and poses a risk to my house. What are my options?

Any help greatly appreciated.

High hedges are covered by anti social behavior laws and there are routes of compliant via the local council:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploa...

[Riley Blue]

dudleybloke said:

Cordless drill and a decent spade bit, drill a couple of holes half way through from their side and fill with copper sulfate.

Would you want a 55ft dead shallow rooted evergreen towering over your garden? I sure as hell wouldn't.

Edited by Riley Blue on Saturday 16th July 13:01

[pinchmeimdreamin]

Elysium said:

High hedges are covered by anti social behavior laws and there are routes of compliant via the local council:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploa...

But it's not a hedge, its a tree in the second parties garden. What are the rules on that ?