Countryside hedgerows are protected and in general it is an offence for anyone to remove a hedgerow that is more than 20 metres long without giving us 6 weeks prior written notice.
We require this time to decide if the hedgerow has sufficient ecological or historic value to be "important". If the hedgerow is assessed as being "important" we must serve a Hedgerow Retention Notice (HRN), which prevents removal of a hedgerow without our written consent.
To give notice of the removal of a hedgerow contact us with the following information:
- Details of the location of the hedgerow to which the hedgerow removal notice relates (by reference to a plan if necessary)
- Details of the parts of the hedgerow that it is proposed to remove, by reference to a plan if necessary
- Reason for proposed work, with reference to supporting evidence if necessary
- Details of ownership of the hedgerow
It should be noted that hedgerows that form the boundary of domestic gardens are not protected. For further information visit the Planning Portal website.
