Planning, building and the environment

Council as hedge owner

The hedge that is causing me problems is owned by the Council. Can I still make a complaint under the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003?
Yes, you can still make a formal complaint under the high hedges legislation - assuming that negotiations with the Council have been unsuccessful. Our guidance, High Hedges Complaints: Prevention and Cure, indicates that in these circumstances the Council should consider setting up internal procedures to ensure that the complaint is determined by a committee or officers who do not have responsibility for managing the land or trees in question. This should avoid any potential conflict of interest. If someone believes that the Council did not make the decision on their high hedge complaint in the right way, they can refer the matter to the Council's own complaints officer or to the Local Government Ombudsman.