‘Overbearing’ hedge in Edinburgh sparks five-year neighbourhood feud

A pair of UK neighbours are locked in a years-long dispute over a tall hedge on the boundary between their properties. 

The quarrel is so heated that police have been called and the Scottish Government has also been involved in the case. 

Keith and Julie Smith are pensioners who live in Prestonfield, a suburb of Edinburgh. 

The house next door to the Smiths contains a garden hedge they believe has an “overbearing effect” on their property. 

In 2020, the couple applied for a High Hedge Notice to force their neighbours to trim the offending thicket. 

In the months that followed, the two households quickly became embroiled in a fierce dispute. 

“Their behaviour has been atrocious, absolutely appalling. I have never experienced that sort of provocation and intimidation,” Keith told Edinburgh Live. 

Julie said she feels “anxious”, “stressed” and “scared” to enter her garden. 

“We are pensioners and we should be enjoying our lives, sitting back and enjoying our garden. I’m scared to go outside,” she said. 

In May 2021, the local Edinburgh Council denied the Smiths’ High Hedge Notice application, arguing that the hedge did not negatively impact their property. 

The couple appealed, and a Scottish Government agency eventually agreed to issue a High Hedge Notice to the neighbours. 

In 2023, the hedge owners trimmed a section of the foliage. 

However, the Smiths think that the neighbours have not done enough to reduce the height of the hedge. 

“We are very angry that as a couple we have paid a fee to the council for an application, and that application was dealt with improperly,” Keith said. 

The hedge owners told the media outlet they are disappointed with the Smiths’ response. 

“We have complied with the high hedge notice and this was signed off by the council in April 2023. We are wanting to enjoy a peaceful retirement but since April 2023 we have been harassed and intimidated by Mr and Mrs Smith. This has been reported to the relevant authorities,” the hedge owners said. 

In June 2024, local police were called to the neighbourhood after receiving news of a “disturbance” in the area.  

“There were no reports of any serious injuries. Two men were each issued with a Recorded Police Warning,” a Police Scotland spokesperson said. 

The dispute remains ongoing.