The High Hedges (Scotland) Act 2013 has been introduced to as a means to provide a solution to the problem of high hedges, where neighbours have not been able to resolve the issue amicably. The legislation covers hedges which can interfere with the enjoyment of a domestic property. The Scottish Government has provided Guidance to all Scottish Councils which you may find useful to read before contacting Fife Council.
Contacting Fife Council
If you wish us to consider a high hedge problem you have encountered please use the checklist below before contacting us.
- Have you been in contact with the person responsible for the hedge to resolve the problem?
- Are you able to provide evidence of contact with the hedge owner e.g. copy of letters, dates of telephone calls or discussions with details of conversation? We require a minimum of 2 pieces of evidence
- Does the problem relate to 2 or more trees/shrubs over 2 metres in height which create a barrier to light?
- Is your property a domestic property?
"If you can answer YES to all of the above then you can submit an application for Fife Council to consider. There is a fee for this service and our current charges can be found on our Planning Costs and How to Pay Section. If you cannot provide all the information required we will not be able to validate your application.
The relevant forms can be downloaded from the Scottish Government ePlanning.scot and emailed to development.central@fife.gov.uk.
Payments can be made using our online service which can be found on www.fife.gov.uk.
It will take longer for us to process a paper application – but our postal address is:
Planning Services
Fife House
North Street
Glenrothes,
KY7 5LT
Please do not send cash or cheques with your application.
You can provide photographs with your application however one of our officers will visit the site.
If you have a question or require further help then contact the team at development.central@fife.gov.uk.
Assessing Your Application
Once we have validated your application we will send a copy of the form will be sent to the owner of the hedge in question once we have removed any sensitive or personal information. The owner will be given the opportunity to provide further information at this stage.
A Case Officer will arrange to visit the site to assess the hedge.
Once an assessment has been made both the applicant and owner of the hedge will be informed of the outcome. If the decision is to take no further action, the decision will be made by the Case Officer.