Laws on trees and ownership

[Littlepeahead]

Anyone on here know the laws on cutting back trees that overhang your land. There is a huge sycamore just outside my boundary. I've checked with the council and they say it isn't on the land that forms the footpath, the Land Registry can't help either as the tree seems to be growing from a tiny piece of land between the footpath and my fence which they reckon is still owned by whoever the developer was in the 1980s. I've no idea who that is though and nor can they tell me.

I don't want to get rid of the tree completely, it provides shade, privacy and the birds love it, but it needs a serious trim.

Can I chop back the branches that overhang my garden without permission? I guess I will have to pay for this, but any idea how I track down the owner of the land?

I'd say stick a notice on it for a month then chop away.

If the council don;t know who the owner is, I doubt the owner does either. You have taken reasonable steps to find out.

[jambo]

The chances are very high here that it's self-seeded and no one feels very protective over it.

I'd check with your neighbours in case they're likely to get upset about loosing it, pin a notice on it and then go to town..

Jambo

if trees overhang your land then legally you can cut them at any point after they cross onto it with no permission needed (from the tree owner that is, I'm not sure about the status if the tree has a TPO but if it's a sycamore I wouldn't worry).

You're also supposed to return the branches to the tree owner.

Originally Posted by Spank86

if trees overhang your land then legally you can cut them at any point after they cross onto it with no permission needed (from the tree owner that is, I'm not sure about the status if the tree has a TPO but if it's a sycamore I wouldn't worry).

You're also supposed to return the branches to the tree owner.

Yeah, that.

Not too sure about the branches though... I think you keep the mess.

In reality you do but legally all branches and leaves are the property of the tree owner and should at least be offered to them.

Of course going round someone's house and asking if they want a load of sycamore branches you've just cut off their tree could be mistaken as taking the ****.


I always assumed the law was because people used to have more wood burners and so the wood would have been worth something to them.

[tigersaw]

Could you move the fence and enclose the tree in your garden? It looks like it ought to be yours anyway from the pictures?
I've known someone do this on my previous estate, I think there is some ruling about after several years of caring for the land uncontested it becomes yours?

Seven years without complaint and it's yours.

Any org paralegal/lawyer can tell me if I'm wrong.