Parish Council letter

[Jimny14]

So I received a letter in the post today from the parish council addressed to the householder.

"I am sorry to have to write to you but unfortunately the Parish Council has received complaints about the overgrown bushes at the front of your property partially obstructing the footway and causing a hazard for pedestrians. It would be much appreciated if you could arrange to have the plants cut back as soon as possible. "

Now I may be being defensive but I can walk down the footpath no problem (I'm 6'5) but I'd be interested in other people's thoughts as to what needs to be cut back.

[Snadger]

Maybe they meant high sided vehicles and not pedestrians?

[Mark_Riga]

Doesn't look too bad but could be clipped back nearer to the wall may be. You could may be ask for a site visit with them for advice. You could look round the parish for worser properties may be.
Mines a bit overgrown at the front but there is no footpath. I'll be cutting it back sometime after the leaves fall off and hopefully before they start growing again.

[Jimny14]

Cheers Mark, I've already phoned them and asked them for advice on what they want pruning (message left), so will look forward to hearing from them.

[veggiechicken]

There's no footpath outside my house but, further down the road, there are bushes that overhang the pavement. I'm guessing that pedestrians should be able to walk close to the wall without getting "hedged". Its OK if its one sighted person but a group, say parent and a couple of kids or someone with impaired vision may need to be able to walk along safely without watching their heads.

Just guessing really!

[Jimny14]

Good points VC and may well be the case, interesting if that's the case as the plants are no more overgrown than they have been in past this time of year and never had a complaint the last 3 years.

[Scarlet]

I can’t really tell with the photo but there are some overhanging branches just over the top of the wall?
You may be tall...but as a singleton it’s very different compared to a wide load! As a mother of twins (when in a double buggy) with a dog on a lead and a bag hanging on the pram handles I was often forced to walk near the curb. It really was frustrating! ....and many times got soaked by passing cars!! Also all the debris from those leaves are on the path doesn’t help as people have to walk around them.

[Scarlet]

Good points VC and may well be the case, interesting if that's the case as the plants are no more overgrown than they have been in past this time of year and never had a complaint the last 3 years.

New Mums walking to school? Are you on a school route?

[JanieB]

Someone has obviously complained. To be quite honest, the parish council have no real powers here, but the District Council or Unitary Authority do. If whoever complained escalated their complaint, the authority responsible could cut your hedge back and charge you for the privilege. Best do it yourself, although, personally I can’t see much of a problem and think someone is being a might pedantic.

[Jimny14]

Don't worry Janie I'm not going to let anything get silly, stuffs going to get pruned and leaves swept up several times (we have lots of leaf mould!) I was just more interested in people's opinions as to what the issue may be, I'm also trying to contact the parish council to get an answer from them as to the specific problem so I can ensure it doesn't happen again in the future.

[bikermike]

2 options
1) as per Scarlett, the stuff by the wall looks like it might be low - if two people passed, you might end up being forced into the road/getting a mouthful of tree
2) not something I can tell from the photo, but do any of the bits overhanging the footpath look iffy? is there a risk of bits falling down.


I'd get them cut back - it will need doing at some point anyway, and it will only get a bigger job. Lots of lovely woodchip though...

[Greenleaves]

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&so...XfAgABmoW2N54A

[Jimny14]

Cheers GL very interesting.

[Chestnut]

Agree, it’s worth finding out exactly what they want you to achieve. That way, you can sort it yourself- first time, keep all the leaf mulch, and save yourself being charged for the work ;-)

[Jay-ell]

While they may look fine on a calm day, once the breeze gets up it could be a different matter as there's a few that look like they could be whipped about by the wlnd.

I find pushing a wheelchair around there's places that, if there's others coming the opposite way, I either have to push the chair along the edge of the road (on a path which is uneven and has a camber into the road) or push the chair towards the undergrowth against the inside edge of the path.