Buying site: Tree in boundary ditch

ravendude

Following on from an earlier post on purchasing a site,- I'm wondering about a particular tree on a boundary ditch. The gable end of the house as per the plans comes right up to the ditch boundary and this tree, - literally just a narrow footpath between.
The tree is not huge, - but certainly big, - big enough to be concerned about it coming crashing down some stormy night.
I'm wondering does anyone know how difficult it is to either cut it down (ideally) or top it? The tree is a bit of distance away from the dwelling on the neighbouring property, so they may prefer to retain for reasons of privacy. Would the owner of the neighbouring property on the other side of the boundary be able to simply refuse to allow it to be cut down or topped? Do I even need to seek ther permission at all of its arguably a danger to a dwelling?
Obviously the tree might even be preserved in terms of planning etc. - in which case I guess its a whole other ballgame.
Also, I'd be concerned about roots and the foundation, - but I believe (correct me if wrong!) that its possible to put a sheet of steel or some other protection in place to to prevent the roots from growing into the foundation.
Any suggestions or advice appreciated!

gally74

you could trim it, it gets done a lot in france and can look good, it will have very little wind resistance then

Poor Uncle Tom

You need to speak to your neighbour. If it is a shared boundry and the tree is on it. Who owns the tree becomes a legal issue.

The biggest problem tree roots cause to foundations is absorbing all the moisture from one section of soil causing the soil to shrivel/contract and give less bearing for foundations.

Thread closed.