Garden law - understanding and settling disputes

'An Englishman's home is his castle'

Oh what a statement! but unfortunately it is true. It is true for a Scotsman and Irishman and  Welshman if I were to stay within the PC brigades guidelines.

On too many occasions that I care to remember I have been witness to raging arguments between two neighbours or even several neighbours because of disagreements over a garden or a space outside of a property.

Many disputes seem to start with the silliest of things and escalate into years of costly legal wrangling and in many cases the argument is never settled satisfactorily and the only winner is the lawyer leaving one or both parties with a huge legal bill and more unhappiness.

If you have a need to ask for some advice on a garden dispute in advance of any proposed legal action then the Garden Law Discussion Forum is a real gem!

No one is going to solve your problem on the site and reading through some of the forum discussions there does appear to be a lot of differences of opinion. However, new discussions are being added every day and it would seem some valuable hints and tips can be gleaned before you process your problem further.

Finding a well.

Not every post is necessarily about a dispute as such. splitscreencharlie found a well in their back garden and asks advice on what should be done and who might be responsible.

Comments

[Adrian]

which way do I put the good side of my new fence facing neighbours or not?

[jennifer white]

HI EVERY ONE
MY MOTHER HAS LEYLANDII IN HER GARDEN WHICH SHE HAS PRUNNED TWICE A YEAR,BUT IT APPEARS HER NEIGHBOUR HAS NEVER TRIMMED THEM FROM THERE SIDE , AS YOU CAN EMAGINE THE BRANCHES ARE OUT OF CONTROL. AND THE NEIGHBOUR HAS ASKED MY MOTHER TO HAVE THEM CUT BACK,AS THEY ARE CAUSING DAMAGE IN HER GARDEN IS MY MOTHER RESPONSABLE FOR THIS

[Steve]

Hi,

On the greenfield site(currently arable land) adjacent to my property, a major development is proposed on two sides of my property - 555 properties - including a new bus lane 65 metres from any open able windows of our house. On the outline planning application so far applied for which in includes the bus lane, the developer is not proposing any fences/walls on the boundary/demise line between our properties. Instead he has in his documentation suggested that the 'existing garden tree's/bushes ect. are sufficient? When the beech hedge dies down in winter you will easily gain access to our property from the proposed bus lane and adjacent footpath. This will be a major security risk and acoustic nightmare.

Can the local planning authority insist that the boundary is treated accordingly to treat our two main concerns?

Thank you

[sue]

my neighbour hacedk five feet of my laurel hedge outside my front open plan property saying that piece of land is actually hers. I have lived here for 24 years and looked after both hedge and lawn meticulously since buying from new. she I claiming that where our houses are "joined" by a small fence to which her back gate is accessed, that from the gate post to the front garden is hers and she has hacked the laurel (6ft tall and 4 foot wide) away. I am worried about leaving my house to find she has done more when I return and am now on Prozac for stress. what can I do. At the front of my house her driveway joins my lawn and the hedge is along the very front of my property.