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By johnm
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1872771
Beech, Yew or Thuja for the hedge never plant Leylandii
By Big Dex
#1873207
Firstly, isn’t this an area noted for newts? Raise that flag; once they’ve jumped through all those hoops, don’t forget about the bats, contaminated ground, archeological significance and for the finale, isn’t this a burial site?

They’ll be building nothing for a long time…
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By jerry_atrick
#1875672
Well., you would think so.. but they were supposed to to some sort of excavation and didn't.. and the council merely overlooked it.

But, maybe worth a shot, anyway... Thanks...

Re Leylandii - point taken. We have a couple of Yews already on the property - may just go for them... Although, I like the look of Thuja...

Time to call in the big guns.. the mother-in-law ;-)
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By eltonioni
#1875675
jerry_atrick wrote:... they were supposed to to some sort of excavation and didn't.. and the council merely overlooked it.

I don't recall you mentioning this JA. Presumably you would have remembered a requirement for an archaeology excavation so I guess that the LPA has asked for a Phase 2 ground investigation, which is the real-world JCB + engineer follow on to check the research and presumptions in the Phase 1 desktop study.

If there was a specific condition on the Decision Notice, which there usually is, it might look like this;

No development shall commence until intrusive site investigations have been carried out on site to establish the exact situation in respect of coal mining legacy and land stability features. The findings of the intrusive site investigations shall be submitted to the Local Planning Authority for consideration and approval in writing. The intrusive site investigations shall be carried out in accordance with authoritative UK guidance.

Reason: To ensure the site is safe for the development to proceed and the safety and stability of the proposed development, it is essential that this condition is complied with before the development is commenced.


There are subtle variations in types of Conditions but generally, if a Condition has not been discharged or removed, then they haven't complied with the consent and the good news is that enforcement is a very real thing to look at chasing. The bad news is that a skilled applicant should be able to discharge the condition post-construction IF the results turn out to be non-consequential. Might be worth a look though.
Last edited by eltonioni on Sun Oct 10, 2021 7:54 am, edited 1 time in total.
#1875676
I would never ever ever plant leylandii. 15 years ago, I built a large L shaped garage complex at my place that was bordered by 40 or 50 of them. I remember thinking at the time that they probably wouldn't get much bigger as they were probably already 20 years old. The roof line of my garage was 6.5m, and is built on raised ground as I live in a floodplain by a river. The trees were just visible above the roof line, so probably about 9 or 10m tall.

Over the next few years, they continued to grow, and spread out over the garages. I had to clear the gutters several times a year as they filled with debris from the trees. I would fill close to a dozen buckets every time. Clearing the valley in the L was a nightmare.

Each year, I would try to prune back the branches that had grown over the roof, but even that became next to impossible as they continued to grow. Eventually, a few big limbs started breaking off in strong south westerly autumn storms. Several just missed the house, and one did some minor damage on the roof of the garage. By now, the trees were about 15m tall, and if one had blown over completely, the damage would have been extreme. We never slept well on a night with sw gales.

We decided they had to go.

It took over three years and a lot of hard work from Mrs PtP and myself to get them all down. Being so close to the buildings, extreme care was needed. I cut the last one down on Friday. Our relief at seeing it go down is hard to describe.

On the plus side, the wood burns very well once properly seasoned with little ash for the heat output. And, I'm now an expert at sharpening a chainsaw.

Never ever ever EVER plant those trees from hell.
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By johnm
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1875683
Another word of warning. Thuja look quite similar to Leylandii and will grow to a substantial 30 ft or so, they just grow slower.....For hedges I'm a fan of Yew which once established (a couple of years) will grow relatively quickly and is easy to clip once or twice a year.
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By Awful Charlie
#1875729
If the neighbors bog is that close to the boundary, might a substantial holly growth be 'persuaded' to invade it?
Not the easiest bush to trim, but not that bad either, and it comes with the bonus of supplies for xmas!
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By Sooty25
#1875752
johnm wrote:If it’s a church that has put the loo in a different place from that expected, then you have 2 avenues to pursue. Planning is one ecclesiastical bureaucracy is another.

The church will be managed by a Parochial Church Council, they will be people who live in the village and can be identified. They would have needed a thing called a faculty from the diocese which is similar to planning permission.

The church will publish the name and contact details of the clergy and they should put you in touch with the PCC, the diocese is likely to have a website and that will allow you to track down the folk who deal with faculties.

A church is expected to be a good neighbour so I’d start there.


This is probably the best place to start. We all know that dealing with planners will be pointless. A Judicial review expensive and also probably pointless.

However, an informal meeting intent on resolving matter, could conclude with the threat to become the most offensive neighbour possible should they insist on building a bog outside your lounge window. Being nice and compliant often results in having the p155 taken out of you. Mr Walker, South Moors Farm has demonstrated that. Sometimes you have to take the gloves off and fight dirty.
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By jerry_atrick
#1875761
eltonioni wrote:
jerry_atrick wrote:... they were supposed to to some sort of excavation and didn't.. and the council merely overlooked it.

I don't recall you mentioning this JA. Presumably you would have remembered a requirement for an archaeology excavation so I guess that the LPA has asked for a Phase 2 ground investigation, which is the real-world JCB + engineer follow on to check the research and presumptions in the Phase 1 desktop study.

<snip>


I should have been more explicit - the excavation requirement was attached to the previous permission, which had the bog off in a corner (and we didn't object as although close to our land, was out of the way). They just decided to build the bog where it 1/2 stands now, and when we inquired why the council allowed it to be moved without consulting us, they replied they hadn't provided permission to move it, and also hadn't provided, amongst other things, the excavation report. So, building work stopped and they had to apply for new permission where it s now; the council deemed they no longer needed the report.

Apols for the confusion. There are other conditions after the bog is built like growing some evergreens and ensuring for 5 years that they paint the shed green and a couple of other minor things.

@Sooty25 , we did try negotiating to move it hack to where it was - to no avail. So, we have indicated that where in the past on a sunny Sunday morning at 11am where we decided not to mow the lawns (ride on mower) or trim the garden even though it was the only convenient time for us and we decided to leave it to the next convenient time, we won't bother in the future.. if it is best for us when they are in there, well, too bad..