High Hedges Guidance Notes on Completing the ：高的树篱填写

High Hedges Guidance Notes on Completing the ：高的树篱填写 High Hedges: Guidance Notes on Completing the Complaint Form General notes These guidance notes are to help you fill in the form to make a complaint about a neighbouring high hedge. You should also read ‘High Hedges Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 – Guidance for Complainants’. Processing your complaint will be delayed if you do not complete the form properly or do not provide the information requested. If you are unsure how to answer any of the questions, please contact the Environmental Health Department at Armagh City and District Council on (028) 3752 9626 or email ehealth@armagh.gov.uk We are committed to making sure all of our services are available to all sections of the community. We will consider providing this guidance in other forms on request. Attempts to resolve the complaint Please keep the descriptions brief but say how you have made attempts to settle the complaint (for example - face to face, phone, letter) and the result. Example 1 ,,12 April 2012 – phoned to ask if we could discuss hedge. Met on 19 April but we couldn’t agree a solution; ,,15 May – mediators visited; ,,29 May – met neighbours and mediators. But still couldn’t find an answer we were both happy with; ,,14 June – wrote to inform neighbour would be complaining to the council, copy of letter enclosed. Example 2 , 12 April 2012 – wrote to ask if we could discuss hedge. Two weeks later still no reply. , ,,9 May – wrote to ask if would speak to mediator. Two weeks later still no reply. , 7 June – wrote to inform neighbour would be complaining to the council, copy of all correspondence enclosed. Example 3 , 12 April 2012 – saw neighbour in their garden and asked if I could discuss hedge. Neighbour came round on 19 April. Saw the effect of the hedge for themselves. Sympathetic but unwilling to reduce the hedge as much as I wanted; , ,neighbours willing to try mediation but discovered that neighbour mediation not available in our area. We live too far from the nearest service; , 23 May – saw neighbour again and explained that, if we couldn’t agree a solution, we would make a formal complaint to council. Left it for a couple of weeks then confirmed in writing that we would be going ahead with the complaint. 1. Criteria for making a complaint Who can complain? Q1.6 You must be the owner or occupier (or representative) of the property affected by a high hedge in order to make a formal complaint to us. If you do not own the property (for example, because you are a tenant or a leaseholder), you can still make a complaint. But you should let the owner (or landlord or management company) know what you are doing. Q1.7 The property does not have to be completely residential but must include some living accommodation otherwise we cannot consider the complaint. 2. Grounds of complaint It will help if you provide as much information as you can but keep it factual. Remember that a copy of this form will be sent to the person who owns the property where the hedge is growing, and to the person living there if they are different people. Concentrate on the hedge and the disadvantages you experience because of its height. We cannot consider problems that are not connected with loss of light due to the height of the hedge, for example, if the roots of the hedge are pushing up a path. Nor can we consider things that are not directly about the hedge in question, for example, that other people keep their hedges trimmed to a lower height; or that the worry is making you ill. Please also provide a photo of the hedge and a plan showing the location of the hedge and surrounding properties. When drawing your plan please make sure that you: , Mark and name surrounding roads , ,,Sketch in buildings, including adjoining properties - add house numbers or names. , Mark clearly the position of the hedge and how far it extends , Show the direction of north , The position of windows that are affected by the hedge (including whether they are located on the front, side or rear of the house) , Relevant measurements (for example, size of garden, distance between the hedge and any windows affected) All measurements must be in metres (m). Please include copies of any professional reports that you may have had prepared and of any other documents that you want us to take into account. 4. Previous complaints to us We only need to know about formal complaints, made under the High Hedges Act (Northern Ireland) 2011. You don’t need to tell us about telephone calls or other informal contact with us about your hedge problems. 5. The parties We need all these names and addresses because there are some documents that we are required, by law, to send to the owner and occupier of the land on which the hedge grows. These include our decision on the complaint. Q5.1 Even if someone else is submitting the complaint on your behalf, it is important that we have your contact details. Tick the ‘Yes’ box if you prefer to be contacted by email. We cannot send documents to you electronically unless you agree. ` Q5.2 You need to complete this section only if you (as the complainant) do not live in the property affected by the hedge. We need this information because we will have to get in touch with this person to arrange to visit the property so that we can see for ourselves the effect of the hedge. Q5.3 Complete this section if you are a professional adviser, relative, friend or other representative. You will be our main contact on all matters relating to this complaint. We will direct all queries and correspondence to you. Please bear this in mind. If you tick the ‘Yes’ box, we will conduct all business relating to this complaint by email. But we cannot send documents to you electronically unless you agree. Q5.4 This will normally be the person you have talked to when you tried to agree a solution to your hedge problems. If the site where the hedge is growing does not have a postal address, use the box to describe as clearly as possible where it is, for example, ‘Land to rear of 12 - 18 High Street’ or ‘Park adjoining Main Road’. We need this information because we will have to contact these people for their comments, and to arrange to visit the site where the hedge is growing. Q5.5 If you are in any doubt about who owns the property where the hedge is situated, you can contact Land and Property Services by calling into the public office at Lincoln Building, 27-45 Great Victoria Street, Belfast BT2 7SL. They charge ?8 for a search which will provide details about the owner of the property. If you are unable to call into their office, please ring the Land and Property Services Helpline on 0300 200 7803 (charged at local rate) for advice on making a search enquiry by post, for which there is an additional fee. 6. Supporting documents Please make sure you have ticked all the relevant boxes. If you have ticked the last box, please list these documents by date and title (eg January 2012 – surveyor’s report). This will help us to check that we have got everything. If you are submitting this form online but will be posting supporting documents to us separately, put a reference number or title on them (eg hedge complaint, name, full postal address) so that we can match them up with your complaint. 7. Sending the complaint You should make your cheque out to Armagh City and District Council.