Responsibility to maintain a boundary hedge

rrrrrrrrrr

Registered User
Messages
69
The boundary between the front gardens of my parents house and the house next door is a big high bushy hedge. It's at least 1.5m deep and 3m high. It's hard to say exactly whose side it's on, where the roots start from etc, probably 50/50.

Next door are not keen gardeners so my folks have generally been the ones to keep it trimmed over the years, which is a fair bit of work, given it's height.

The thing is they're now in thier 70's and it's not safe for Dad to be climbing high ladders . I've had a go but it's just getting highter and higher. They want to get someone in to give the whole thing a serious cut down to maybe 1.5m high so it can be safely trimed each year.

Only problem is that next door don't want the hedge lowered at all. Apparently they feel they could be overlooked by other houses at the side .

My parents are keen that the place looks reasonably neat, but can't afford the expence of professionals to look after an enormus hedge each year. Next door don't really care how it looks and if it was left to them it would probably never be cut.

There have been no rows yet and we're all keen to avoid one, but does anyone know the legal position here?

Is it reasonable to say to the neighbours that we are willing to maintain it, if it's lowered to a safe height, but that if they want it keet at the present height, then they will need to keep it trimmed themselves?
 
who set the hedge?

I would think that whoever set it is responsible for it. it must be planted within some side's boundary.
 
The hedge was there years before either side moved in. It's hard to tell which side it started on it's so thick. The boundary seems to run down the middle of it.