Lost privacy from tree removal

xxgilloxx

So the builders are clearing a site to the back of my house for a new estate being built. However my back garden fence is covered from the site side with tall old trees which give privacy and have always been there. The builders have began removing all these trees and therefore removing all my privacy at the back of the house. The site is used by locals as a shortcut and so my garden is wide open for everyone to see. Do I have any rights at all here in this situation?

Blinder

You can plant new trees on your side of the fence.
You didn't own the land where the trees were so not sure why you think your rights are infringed

two wheels good

Some trees are protected. The planning appl with the council should indicate if trees were to be retained. If the developer has disregarded such conditions it would be worth pointing that out to the council - though of little consolation to your enjoyment of your garden.

xxgilloxx

I have contacted the council and they are looking into it and will get back to me. The reason i think my rights are infringed is that the house was sold initially with these trees being used as fence screens by the landowner/builder. Now the same landowner/builder is removing them with no warning. If he felt it was ok to sell the houses with the trees as privacy screens then i would have taught he should have to inform the homeowner of his intentions to completely expose there home and garden by removing the trees. He stopped felling when i approached and asked for documentation and has not returned to complete work as of yet which raises my suspicions. I have no issue blocking the fence from my side so Blinder just for so you are aware i am not looking for any freebies if thats what you are thinking. However it would have been decent and respectful of the landowner to give me notice to give me a chance to block my fence before it becomes exposed. It will now impose a massive security risk to both my home and children as they have no safe private area to play in anymore. Surely if a builder sells a house with privacy screening and he then decides to remove the screens years later then surely the person who purchased the home should be informed and some agreement reached. Fair is fair after all. There are enough big greedy nasty look down their nose men and women in society. We dont need anymore.

punisher5112

Nothing stopping you putting in a higher wall withing height limits or trees/hedge or a higher fence.

I removed a hedge from rear of my house and it no exposes us to our neighbours at the rear.

I will be fitting a fence when cleared full on top of the wall already there.

baaba maal

I would first suggest that you should have looked in detail at the planning application beforehand and if the trees weren't listed to be retained, you could have requested this at that stage (not saying the council would include this as a condition, but it would have been worth trying).

Secondly, and ignoring that this is a developer who is presumably going to make a fair bit of money from this development, how is it reasonable that you expect your privacy to be provided by screening on somebody else's land? Unless you're backing onto a National Park, you should really expect that the trees would be removed to maximise site values etc.

I can only suggest you get busy planting, and see if you can engage with the developer to retain some of the screening and/or augmented. If other neighbours are going to be similarly affected it might be worth having a chat.

baaba maal

I should add- my last post reads very unsympathetically- that wasn't intentional- I know it is a total pain in the a**e to lose your sense of privacy from your home. I hope the effects are minimised.

xxgilloxx

Just to update this. We managed to do a deal with the builder. Builder has agreed to screen off our back fence for duration of works and give us a large solid back wall and extra garden space when the work is complete. Also according to the actual site plans the trees were to be left where they were and not to be removed.

James 007

xxgilloxx wrote: »

Just to update this. We managed to do a deal with the builder. Builder has agreed to screen off our back fence for duration of works and give us a large solid back wall and extra garden space when the work is complete. Also according to the actual site plans the trees were to be left where they were and not to be removed.

Then why has he removed the trees. The wall and the bit of extra space probably still does not compensate you enough. I bet you still prefer if the trees were left there. I would be asking for him to plant some mature trees to give you a bit more privacy. Sometimes a builder would leave mature trees as they tend to bring up the value of the houses that they are selling. I wonder what was his reason for removing the trees in the first place.