Suffolk County Council is responsible for our own trees and hedges
growing in verges on all other publicly maintained roads in
Suffolk; boundary trees and hedges belong to the adjoining owner.
If left unchecked the trees and hedges may:
- become unstable and unsafe;
- cause structural damage to property, drains, roads and
pavements;
- reduce visibility for all types of highway users; or
- restrict the width of footpaths, pavements and roads.
Trees and hedges must be maintained to preserve their condition
and to prevent them from causing harm to people, vehicles and
property. When a problem is identified, we use qualified experts to
inspect trees and to offer advice on measures such as felling,
pruning, root barriers or crown thinning. When one of our
trees requires work and there are realistic options, local councils
and adjacent property owners are consulted first; significant
pruning or felling, even for safety reasons, can cause local
residents a lot of concern. When a tree has to be felled, we
try to plant a new one, although this often cannot be in the same
place. We also try to avoid doing any but essential safety work to
trees and hedges during the nesting season to protect local
birds. If work needs to be done to a tree in a conservation
area or to a tree with a Tree Preservation Order then a district
council must authorise the work. Suffolk County Council
carefully selects any new trees to reduce the amount of potential
damage and ongoing maintenance required.
Trees and hedges on private property - If a tree or hedge
on private property next to the road is causing a safety concern,
or is damaging vehicles or the highway, we will:
- Contact the property owner and ask them to cut back vegetation
that is the cause for concern. This is done at their own
expense.
- If the owner fails to do this work within 21 days we will serve
the owner with a notice to do the work under Section 154 of the
roads Act.
- If this work is not completed within 14 days we may do the work
and recover any costs from the property owner concerned.
To report a problem contact our
Customer Service
Centre.