Councils are responsible for administering complaints about high hedges made under Part 8 of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003. Making a formal high hedge complaint should be a last resort, and complainants should be able to demonstrate that they have tried to resolve the issue with the hedge owner, including attempting mediation, before submitting a complaint to the Council.
What constitutes a high hedge, and what is a valid complaint?
For trees or shrubs to be considered as a high hedge under the Act they must be all of the following:
- Made up of a line of two or more trees or shrubs
- Mostly evergreen or semi-evergreen
- More than two metres in height above ground level
- Even though there are gaps in the foliage or between the trees, the hedge is still capable of obstructing light or views
The Council can only consider a complaint if it satisfies all of the following criteria
- It must relate to a high hedge as defined in the Act (see above)
- It must be on land owned by someone other than the complainant
- It must be affecting a domestic property
- It must be brought on the grounds that the height of the hedge is adversely affecting the reasonable enjoyment of the domestic property
- It must be brought by the owner or occupier of that property
View a summary of Government guidance or the full detailed guidance.
How is the complaint dealt with?
View further information on
pdf
how a high hedge complaint is dealt with
(222 KB)
by the Council.
Worcester City Council charges a fee of £460 for high hedge complaints (or £230 for those on benefits) which needs to be submitted together with the
pdf
high hedge complaint form
(80 KB)
. Please be aware that the complaint cannot be dealt with until payment has been received by the Council.
Please submit the form by email or post, to:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Planning Department
Worcester City Council
The Guildhall
High Street
Worcester
WR1 2EY
