Trees and high hedges

Advice and support on this page is administered by the Department of Infrastructure's Legislation Unit.

Trees and hedges are a key element of our countryside, but they also have a major part to play in our urban areas. Trees and hedges in private gardens, parks and streets are of great importance to people, particularly in residential areas. However, they need to be selected and planted with care and managed appropriately if we are to make the most of their potential to enhance the environment. Trees are in general, protected by the Tree Preservation Act 1993 and may be further protected by Registration under the Act or through other legal safeguards which help to make sure that they are not lost or damaged needlessly.

Where trees or hedges get out of hand problems can occur, such as where a high hedge restricts someone's use or enjoyment of their property. The Trees and High Hedges Act 2005 was introduced to address this problem. Under this legislation Local Authorities have delegated powers to deal with complaints about tree(s) and high hedges, however, they can only intervene once an individual has tried and exhausted all other avenues of resolving their dispute.

Please note that the role of Local Authorities is to act as an independent and impartial adjudicator in those cases which individuals cannot settle for themselves.

Both the Tree Preservation Act 1993 and Trees and High Hedges Act 2005 can be viewed on the Isle of Man Government’s Legislation Online website.

Contact information

Should you not be able to resolve the dispute with your neighbour and require further advice on how to proceed with a complaint, you will need to contact the Local Authority for your area.

Further advice and guidance

Various guidance documents and leaflets on how you can agree a solution about problem tree(s) and high hedges, can be obtained via the guidance documents  - see downloadable documents.

A copy of a sample complaint form and complaints questionnaire, along with guidance notes on how to complete the complaint form are also in the downloadable documents area.

Should the dispute not have been resolved, despite having taken the steps set out in the various guides and leaflets referred to above, then you may wish to take your complaint to your Local Authority. Please note that you will be required to pay £150 for your complaint to be investigated.

Guidance for Local Authority Officers – Trees and High Hedges Act 2005

Guidance for Local Authority Officers in dealing with tree and high hedge complaints can be found within the document entitled 'Guidance for Department or Local Authority Officers – Trees and High Hedges', - see downloadable documents.