Laurel Hedging and the Law

In England and Wales, high hedges are covered by Part 8 of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003. There is no law setting how tall a hedge can grow. Instead, if a hedge is adversely affecting a neighbour’s reasonable enjoyment of their property, they can complain to the local council, which can investigate and order the hedge to be cut back.

The rules only apply to a “high hedge”: one formed wholly or mainly by a line of two or more evergreen or semi-evergreen trees or shrubs, rising more than two metres above ground level, and acting at least partly as a barrier to light or access. A laurel hedge over two metres tall can qualify.

Your neighbour is expected to try to settle the matter with you first, and the council may charge them a fee to make a complaint. If the council issues a notice requiring work and it is not done, that is an offence. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own high hedge laws that work in a similar way.

The simplest way to avoid any of this is to keep your hedge trimmed to a reasonable height. Our laurel hedge care guide explains how.

In most cases you can plant a hedge without planning permission, but you are then responsible for its care and maintenance. Check your property deeds for restrictive covenants, and on newer estates check for planning conditions that keep front gardens open-plan. Near a road junction or driveway, keep the hedge low enough not to block drivers’ visibility.

If your hedge grows over the boundary, your neighbour is entitled to cut it back to the boundary line from their side. They should not go onto your land to do it without permission, and anything they cut off still belongs to you, so it is polite for them to offer it back. In practice most neighbours simply agree who will trim each side. If you are unsure where your boundary is, GOV.UK has guidance on property boundaries.

If your hedge overhangs or obstructs a public footpath, bridleway or road, the highway authority can require you to cut it back, and in some cases can do the work itself and recover the cost. Plant new hedges far enough back from the boundary to allow for their eventual width.

Dense laurel is a favourite nesting site. Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 it is an offence to intentionally damage or destroy the nest of any wild bird while it is in use or being built. Check carefully before trimming, especially between March and August, and leave any section with an active nest until the young have fledged.

As the owner, you can be liable if your hedge damages a neighbour’s property, for example if roots undermine a wall or branches damage a fence. Planting at a sensible distance and keeping the hedge under control is the best protection.