Frequently asked questions: Planning and Building Control

Planning and Building Control questions

• Question: A privately owned tree is about to fall in to the highway.

• Question: A privately owned tree is about to fall on to non-highway land.

• Question: A privately owned tree is blocking the view from my property.

• Question: A privately owned tree is causing interference to my telephone cable/electricity cable.

• Question: A privately owned tree is obstructing a street light.

• Question: A privately owned tree is obstructing traffic lights and street signs.

• Question: A privately owned tree is touching my property.

• Question: A tree from a private property is blocking my view at a road junction, can the Council cut it back?

• Question: A tree from private property is overhanging a road or footpath, can the Council cut it back?

• Question: Can the Council get involved if I have a dispute with my neighbour over a high hedge?

• Question: Can the Council get involved if I have a dispute with my neighbour over a tree?

• Question: How do I find out if a tree is protected with a TPO or in a conservation area?

• Question: I have bird droppings from my neighbour's trees on my path/garden.

• Question: I have blossom/falling fruit and germinating seeds in my garden from my neighbour's trees.

• Question: My neighbour's tree has a bee/wasp nest in it.

• Question: My neighbour's tree is causing subsidence damage to my property

• Question: My neighbour's tree is interrupting my TV/satellite signal.

• Question: My neighbour's tree is overhanging my property, what can I do?

• Question: My neighbour's tree is restricting light in to my house and shading my garden

• Question: My neighbour's tree is shading my solar panels.

• Question: My tree has damaged my drains.

• Question: Poisonous berries are falling in to my garden from my neighbour's tree.

• Question: Sap/sticky residue is falling on to my path from my neighbours tree.

  Answer:

  Honeydew is a natural and seasonal problem. Honeydew is caused by greenfly (aphids) feeding on the tree, which excrete a sugary sap. Often the honeydew is colonised by a mould, which causes it to go black.

  Unfortunately, there is little that can be done to remove the aphid which causes the problem and pruning the tree may only offer temporary relief and any re-growth is often more likely to be colonised by greenfly thereby potentially increasing the problem. Where honeydew affects cars, warm soapy water will remove the substance, particularly if you wash the car as soon as possible.

  You can exercise your Common Law Right to remove the nuisance associated with sap - see Common Law Right above.

• Question: The tree roots of a privately owned tree is causing a trip hazard in a footpath, street, road or highway.