Alan Tyers is locked in a dispute with Ally McCoist over 90ft trees outside his home in Bridge of Weir, Renfrewshire, after the council refused to order them lopped under high hedge laws. Tyers has now taken the case to the Scottish Government, saying the sycamores block light, shed dangerous branches and leave him living in fear of collapse onto his C-Listed property.
Tyers said he tried to reach agreement by emailing McCoist before turning to Renfrewshire Council. He said the trees belong to McCoist and that falling branches have damaged his property, while high winds make it dangerous to use rooms overshadowed by the trees or even go outside. “I am now living with the real fear and risk of tree collapse onto my house,” he said.
He said the problem has worsened over time. Tyers described the sycamores as fast-growing and very old, and said storms and high winds in recent years have made the issue increase year on year. He said the trees overhang his rear door, darken the hallway and leave upstairs rooms on that side of the house unusable during storms because of the threat of collapse and the noise of falling debris.
The case turns on a narrow planning judgment, but the dispute itself is personal and immediate. Tyers said he first approached McCoist directly in a bid to settle the issue, then asked the council to use high hedge powers to force trimming. Officials rejected that application, saying the hedge did not adversely affect the enjoyment an occupant of the property could reasonably expect to have.
That conclusion leaves Tyers with no local remedy and a live appeal in Edinburgh. In his submission, he said he should be allowed reasonable enjoyment of his property without what he called a neighbour’s unmaintained hedge, arguing that it blocks light to a bedroom and rear doorway and has caused damage and fear of injury. A reporter will issue a decision on the appeal in due course.
The dispute concerns sycamores Tyers says belong to McCoist, beside his C-Listed home in Bridge of Weir. For now, the legal question is whether the trees are merely an inconvenience or a real interference with the use of the property. Tyers says the answer is already plain from the sound of wind, the damage on the house and the darkened rooms he says he cannot safely use.
