Question 1

When can you legally cut a hedge in the UK?

Accepted Answer

It is an offence under section 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to damage an active wild bird's nest. The main nesting season runs 1 March to 31 August. Cutting outside that window, September to late February, is the legal default; cutting inside it is allowed only if a competent visual nest check confirms no active nests. We schedule around the window as standard.

Question 2

How much does hedge cutting cost in Chatham?

Accepted Answer

Most routine hedge cuts in Chatham and the Medway towns fall between £120 and £400 depending on length, height, species and access. Heavier reductions on overgrown leylandii or large hedges range from £300 to £900, sometimes more for staged work. We quote a fixed price up front after seeing photos and the postcode.

Question 3

Do I need permission to cut a hedge in a Chatham conservation area?

Accepted Answer

Routine cutting of hedging species is exempt. But if any single stem in the hedge is over 75mm diameter at 1.5m height, the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 section 211 requires six weeks' written notice to Medway Council before any pruning. Parts of Chatham, including areas around the Historic Dockyard, and neighbouring Rochester sit inside conservation areas. We file the notice on your behalf, included in every quote.

Question 4

How much can I reduce a leylandii by?

Accepted Answer

Leylandii, thuja and other cypress species do not regenerate from brown wood, once you cut past the green needle-bearing zone, that face stays brown forever. On the exposed estuary side of Medway gardens, salt-laden wind can already brown the seaward face naturally, so hard reductions should usually be staged over two years: an intermediate cut first, then the final drop the following winter.

Question 5

Can I cut my neighbour's overhanging hedge?

Accepted Answer

You have the legal right to cut branches and roots that cross your boundary, back to the boundary line. But the cut material legally belongs to your neighbour, offering it back is best practice. You cannot cut beyond the boundary line, and you cannot cause unnecessary damage to the parent plant. High-hedge complaints to Medway Council under the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 Part 8 are a separate, formal process for a persistent evergreen boundary dispute.

Hedge Care and Tree Work Across the Medway Towns.

Hedge care and tree work. No upselling.

Routine hedge trimming

Height & width reduction

Conifer & leylandii

Tree services

Three things you can hold us to.

A proper job, or you don't pay.

5% off for pensioners.

10% off bigger return jobs.

Chatham hedges aren't generic hedges.

We handle the paperwork.

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