Friday May 8th 2026
The hedge being disputed
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Kelly
Next door neighbours in Peebles have been at loggerheads for three years over a leylandi hedge blocking out sunlight to a garden, it has emerged.
Matters have now come to a head and an application has been submitted to Scottish Borders Council for a high hedge notice in Springhill Road.
The bid has been submitted by a neighbour who says the height of the hedge is blocking out sunlight to their garden from the mid-afternoon.
A report from the applicant requiring the hedge to be reduced in height refers to three years of “several civilised and uncivilised conversations” with their neighbour regarding the dispute.
A letter from the applicant to his neighbour, making them aware of the impending legal action, states: “The first year when I approached you and asked about reducing the hedge height your notable answer was, we shouldn’t have moved into our house if your hedge height was too big.”
Over the period agreements were reached over reducing the height of the hedge before the dispute flared up again.
The report states: “We have two young children, two dogs and we love playing and maintaining our garden.
“We timed when the hedge affects the sunlight into our garden and by 4pm (in summer) it is in complete shade.
“In 2025 Spring time I was by this time getting generally fed up at the non-compliance of reducing the hedge height and we ended up having a heated conversation in your garden whilst you were enjoying the sun.
“We are now in April 2026, and you still have not further reduced your hedge height and it is still standing at 5m+ tall.
“This is now unacceptable and straining our relationship as a neighbour, resulting in formal matters.”
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