Cost of Removing a Hedge

Introduction

Here, we’ll look at how to remove a hedge from an area of land and return it to a flat, grassed over condition. It will also look at the many legal aspects that surround hedges and look at what constitutes a protected hedge. Protected hedges may not be removed without consulting either the local council planning departments or National Government advisors.

How much will it cost to remove a hedge?

That will depend upon the length and depth of the hedge and whether you hire an excavator. The removal of a small hedge (2 to 4 metres) could cost between £100 and £250 including waste removal, and larger hedges can cost around £250 to £400. To hire an excavator will typically cost between £50-£120 per day.

What removing a hedge entails

Hedge removal is usually a larger job than most other horticultural tasks. It will require a significant amount of digging to a suitable depth, depending upon how large and established the hedge is. You will need a shovel, spade, fork, and a shepherd’s bar or other large crowbar devices, and but may also require the use of a mechanical digger to ensure that all the root material is removed. The job will also entail filling any trough or burrow remaining with either new or the removed soil and possibly even laying turf, depending upon how the ground needs to be finished.

Removing a hedge will mean digging down to remove the roots. This will ideally need a mechanical excavator, and that will add high cost to the process. You will also have to consider the disposal of the material that you remove. Most of the soil will be replaced in the hole that you create by removing roots, so most of the disposal will be of root and vegetable matter. This is likely to be too much material for a regular council waste disposal facility and may need specialist disposal. Ideally, the root material should be “chipped” before disposal. To remove a large hedge, you will probably have to hire in equipment such as a small excavator and a wood chipping system or find contractors who have such equipment and are available for hire.

Potential problems with hedge removal

In many cases, hedges are subject to protection orders and interfering with them can put you on the wrong side of the law. The rules covering countryside hedgerows are relatively specific, and you need to follow when removing such designated hedgerows. You can get a fine up to £5,000 if you don’t follow these rules. If your case is transferred to the Crown Court, you could get an unlimited penalty.

Generally, a countryside hedgerow is a boundary line of bushes which can include trees as well. A hedgerow is safeguarded, meaning you can’t remove it or otherwise interfere with it, if it meets the specific criteria for length, location, or importance as a feature. For the length criteria, a hedgerow is protected if it’s more than 20m long with gaps of 20m or less in its length, or less than 20m long, but connects with another hedge at each end. For the location criteria, a hedgerow is protected if it’s on or next to:

• Land used for forestry or cultivation.
• Land used for breeding or taking care of horses, ponies or donkeys.
• Positioned on common land.
• A green area.
• A place of special scientific interest.
• A protected European site - such as an area of conservation or a protected area.
• A local/national nature reserve.
• Land belonging to the government.

A hedgerow isn’t protected if it’s in or indicates the border of a private garden.

The ‘importance’ aspect includes if the hedge is at least 30 years old and meets at least one of these criteria:

• It marks all or part of a parish boundary that existed before 1850.
• It contains an archaeological feature such as a scheduled monument.
• It’s entirely or partly in or next to an archaeological site listed on a Historic Environment Record.
• It marks the border of an estate, hall, manor or appears to be related to any property or other feature that’s part of the estate or manor that was built before 1600.
• Is part of a field system or appears to be related to any property or other feature related with the field system that existed before 1845 - you can examine the County Records Office for this data.
• Includes protected species registered in the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
• Contains species that are endangered, vulnerable and rare and identified in the British Red Data books.
• Includes woody species and associated features as specified in Schedule 1, Part II Criteria, paragraph 7(1) of the Hedgerow Regulations - the number of woody species needed to meet the criteria is one less in northern counties.

All of these aspects are rigorously enforceable, and you must not interfere with a hedge that falls under one of the criteria. Make sure that you thoroughly investigate the background to your hedge before trying to remove it.

Other jobs to tackle

If you are removing a hedge, you have the perfect opportunity to completely clear the area up and flatten the ground to make it suitable for any use. You can also use the removal of a hedge as a means of generally carrying out weed removal and sanitizing the ground.