Homeowner told to trim 25m tree as its massive shadow leaves furious neighbours in the dark after eight year row
A HOMEOWNER has been told to trim his 25-metre tree after its massive shadow left furious neighbours in the dark for eight years.
Jon Rose’s huge Leylandii conifers have been “casting a full shadow” across one furious neighbour’s garden and blocking sunlight to solar panels on their garage.
Other exasperated neighbours said the unruly shrub shows signs of damaging a paved area and risks “significant costly structural damage” to their garage.
And last week, council officials ruled Jon’s hedges do “adversely affect the enjoyment” of the neighbouring properties on Southgate Court and Station Road in Eckington, The Star reports.
The warning letter from the council said Jon must cut back his massive trees within six months – or face prosecution or a fine.
According to council documents, Jon neighbours, Richard and Sheila Cory, originally wrote a letter of complaint about the trees in 2013.
The couple wrote: “For much of the year they cast a full shadow across our garden and in the winter months they block the light of the sun when it is low in the sky from our kitchen.
“It disturbs me to think that maybe you are resisting the idea of cutting them down – I think you simply need to be a good neighbour and completely fell all of them.”
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But it took eight years of complaints for any action to be taken.
Documents revealed that Jon told a tree expert the shrubs were soaking up a water course which would otherwise cause flooding in the gardens.
But neighbour Richard, 67, challenged the claim in a formal letter in January and demanded “documentary evidence”.
After asking North East Derbyshire District Council to step in, Richard said: “They dominate everything. They’re higher than the house now, about 20-25 metres high. It’s ridiculous – we would like them removed.”
The planning officers have now said Jon’s two conifer bushes must be trimmed to no more than 2.1 metres and 5.3 metres – and kept at no more than 3.1 metres and 6.3 metres.