Northern Ireland - Tree and Hedge Cutting Notice

Department for Infrastructure

Tree and Hedge
Cutting Notice
Notice To Landowners

Do you own or occupy land adjacent to a public road
or footway?
Do you know that you are responsible for lopping any tree or
cutting back any hedge growing on your land which:
• endangers or obstructs the passage of vehicles,
including high sided vehicles (lorries and buses),
or pedestrians, especially pedestrians with a visual
impairment;
• obstructs the view of drivers of vehicles;
• obstructs or interferes with the light from any public
lamp; or
• obstructs the view of traffic signs or otherwise prejudices
the safety or convenience of persons using the road?
Lopping or cutting back should be to such an extent as will
remove the obstruction or remedy the matter. While no
specific guidance is given in the Roads (Northern Ireland)
Order 1993, it is generally accepted that the minimum
clearance should be 5.5m over a road and 2.4m over a
footpath. Owners or occupiers are also responsible for the
removal of any tree or hedge which is dead, damaged,
diseased or insecurely rooted and by reason of its condition
is likely to cause danger to persons using the road
or footway.
If you are carrying out this work:
• quickly clear all hedge and tree cuttings from public
roads and footways to ensure that all users of the road
are not inconvenienced or endangered; and
• ensure that any such works on a public road or footway
are signed and secured in accordance with the Code of
Practice for Safety at Street Works and Road Works or,
in the case of works on a dual carriageway with hard
shoulders, signed and secured in accordance with
Chapter 8 of the Traffic Signs Manual.
If possible, roadside hedge cutting should be undertaken
from early February to the start of March. Hedge cutting
outside of this period should only be undertaken in the
interest of public safety. Many minor roads are bordered
by hedges providing safe havens for small mammals and
nesting birds and owners and occupiers should be aware
that under the provisions of Article 4 of the Wildlife (Northern
Ireland) Order 1985 it is an offence, with certain exceptions,
to damage or destroy the nest of any wild bird while that
nest is in use or being built, or to disturb any wild bird whilst
it is in or near a nest containing eggs or young. So, avoid
the bird nesting season from 1st March until 31st August
and exercise vigilance at all other times outside of what
would be considered the main nesting period. It is also
not advisable to cut during Autumn and early Winter as this
removes berries and fruit, an important source of food for
birds and wildlife over Winter and it is advisable not to cut
during periods of hard frost. Care should also be taken not
to damage saplings in hedgerows.
The Department also wishes to remind owners and occupiers
that under the provisions of the Roads (Northern Ireland)
Order 1993 the Department may serve a notice on such an
owner or occupier requiring him to remove or trim hedges
or trees causing obstruction and in the event of failure to
comply with the notice the Department may execute such
works as are necessary and may recover the cost from the
person on whom the notice was served.
The Department invites the co-operation of owners and
occupiers in ensuring that wayside trees and hedges are
not allowed to become an obstruction to the safe passage
of vehicles and pedestrians and that, in so doing, any
necessary remedial work is carried out at the appropriate
time of the year.