Background
Hedges that border our highways and pavements can cause issues with visibility for road users, particularly at junctions and obscuring road signs, and hazards for pedestrians from overgrown vegetation.
Enforcement authority
Parish councils have no authority to deal with overgrown hedges, they have the same rights that members of the public have. Only the Highways Authority (City of York Council) has the power to enforce landowners to cut their hedges in Acaster Malbis.
What can I do?
Hedges that cause problems for highways users or pedestrians should be reported to the Highways Authority on their website. Alternatively, you can use the FixMyStreet website or apps that are available for mobile phones.
The more people that report the issue, the more quickly the issue will be resolved.
Aren’t hedgerows protected?
There is some protection for hedgerows under The Hedgerows Regulations 1997. There is also protection for birds and their nests under The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. There are also limits on when hedgerows can be cut if landowners are receiving Cross Compliance payments from the Rural Payments Agency.
However, in all the above regulations there are exceptions for cutting hedgerows where public safety is a concern.