widening a gateway

[R J]

does anyone know how many meters of hedgerow can legally be removed to widen a gateway , (between fields not on to a road)
thanks

 

[RAF]

To the size off your combine header is fine

 

[ColinV6]

Do people actually check, or report farmers for this sort of stuff anyways?

JFDI springs to mind

 

[HarryB97]

I think it's upto 3 metres a year but like above crack on as it wont be much more if it's for a gateway and no one will notice. You can always plant some new hedge this winter to compensate for it elsewhere.

 

[Bullring]

I think it's upto 3 metres a year but like above crack on as it wont be much more if it's for a gateway and no one will notice. You can always plant some new hedge this winter to compensate for it elsewhere.

In that case do 3m on 31st December and another 3m 1st January.

 

[AndrewM]

i think its a maximum width of 9m, but i can only find that in a document marked consultation draft. if its a new gateway you are supposed to replant the old gateway within 8 months.

 

[An Gof]

does anyone know how many meters of hedgerow can legally be removed to widen a gateway , (between fields not on to a road)
thanks

Max width 10m if it’s a stone or banked hedge

 

[ILovebaling]

Do people actually check, or report farmers for this sort of stuff anyways?

JFDI springs to mind

I know of a farmer that got done, so yes they do. He bought some land and put a 30ft gate way (extending the existing 10ft gateways) between every field and to the existing land he already owned. Had to replant all the hedges back to the original 10ft gateways.

 

[ILovebaling]

I think it's upto 3 metres a year but like above crack on as it wont be much more if it's for a gateway and no one will notice. You can always plant some new hedge this winter to compensate for it elsewhere.

Also I don't believe this to be true as the above mentioned farmer tried and offered this tactic but was told hedges couldn't be removed, full stop. Even if planting new hedge elsewhere.

 

[carbonfibre farmer]

@Nearly

 

[ColinV6]

I know of a farmer that got done, so yes they do. He bought some land and put a 30ft gate way (extending the existing 10ft gateways) between every field and to the existing land he already owned. Had to replant all the hedges back to the original 10ft gateways.

Thats absolutely rediculous. I’d love to know how he was found out.

 

[Wombat]

Thats absolutely rediculous. I’d love to know how he was found out.

Someone would have complained

 

[ARW]

Just do it and if questioned tell them a car went through the hedge and you couldnt afford to replant it so just put a bigger gate on

 

[Tarw Coch]

I know of a farmer that got done, so yes they do. He bought some land and put a 30ft gate way (extending the existing 10ft gateways) between every field and to the existing land he already owned. Had to replant all the hedges back to the original 10ft gateways.

Who exactly pulled him up on this and made him replant?
It’s allways been my understanding that widening a gateway is perfectly acceptable.
It’s also not impossible that someone from whatever department pulled this farmer up and made the farmer reduce the gateways and replant was actually in the wrong.
I certainly don’t know for sure and can’t quote legislation but I suspect this farmer may have been the victim of an over zealous official.

 

[Andy26]

This is the relevant legislation:

The Hedgerows Regulations 1997

These Regulations make provision for the protection of important hedgerows in England and Wales. To facilitate the protection of those hedgerows, the Regulations apply to a wider class of hedgerows, described in regulation 3 (in particular to hedgerows which are 20 metres or more long or which...

www.legislation.gov.uk

I cannot see anything stopping an existing opening being widened.

You can remove a section of hedgerow to make a new opening where an existing opening is filled in with new planting within 8 months. Nowhere does it say the old and new openings need to be the same width.

You can remove a section of hedge "for obtaining access to land where another means of access is not available or is available only at disproportionate cost;"

I think the above quote would also cover the removal of hedgerow to widen an existing access (but only where there is not already a wide enough opening).

 

[Nearly]

@Nearly

A good job I've never done anything like this.

 

[ILovebaling]

Who exactly pulled him up on this and made him replant?
It’s allways been my understanding that widening a gateway is perfectly acceptable.
It’s also not impossible that someone from whatever department pulled this farmer up and made the farmer reduce the gateways and replant was actually in the wrong.
I certainly don’t know for sure and can’t quote legislation but I suspect this farmer may have been the victim of an over zealous official.

Defra I believe. Think he partly dobbed himself in as applied to remove 20 metres of hedge and improve existing hedge as replacement. They then came and did a full inspection of the land and made him reinstate all gateways that had been widened 'or face a large fine'

 

[Hamer5108]

Just go for it if anyone asks your making room for a badger bypass

 

[Banana Bar]

My sprayer fits through most of ours ( open )

 

[YorkshireAndrew]

A good job I've never done anything like this.

[emoji56]