Residents battle to have trees chopped down (From Basingstoke Gazette)
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Residents battle to have trees chopped down
3:20pm Saturday 1st September 2012 in Local By Emily Roberts, Chief Reporter
Residents Maureen Gearing, 68, Doreen Jacques, 89, Jean Sturt, 89, Jack Crick, 90, and June Burley, 74 are angry about the height of trees that are now blocking light into their flats
A GROUP of elderly residents are locked in a battle with their neighbours over trees blocking light into their homes.
Three ground-floor residents of Harveys Field in Overton, a block of flats for elderly people which is managed by Sovereign Housing Association, claim the trees in a nearby field are preventing sunlight coming into their homes. June Burley, 74, said: “The trees are so high above our flats it’s taken out a lot of light.”
The large trees are in a field in Dellands Lane, but Mrs Burley said the owner of the field refuses to trim them back. She added: “We have been advised to get in touch with a solicitor but we can’t afford that. It’s blocking the light to our front rooms and hanging over our garden. Big lorries go by and bash into them.”
Mrs Burley said the previous owner of the field used to cut the trees back, but they have been left to grow within the last year.
Overton borough councillor Paula Baker has acted as a mediator, and said the trees are jointly owned. She added: “I have been in contact with the owners and told them that their hedgerow had grown to such an extent that it was cutting out light for people.
“They said they were having some work done at the front of the field but didn’t have plans at that time for the side of the field but would have a think about it.”
Tim Boschi, head of community services at Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council , said: “Issues of blocking light between two properties are normally private matters and not something that the council would become involved in.”
