Leylandii and Conifer Removal in Slough

Reduce the Hedge or Take It Out?

The RHS says leylandii will not grow back from bare wood. A healthy hedge can usually lose up to a third of its height, ideally in early April before new growth starts, and cutting harder can leave a flat, bare top and may kill older or weaker plants. If your hedge is green to the ground and you only need some height back, our hedge trimming service may be enough. If it is bare at the base, or you need a lot of width back, removal and replanting is usually the better answer. We will tell you which makes more sense before anything is booked.

You do not need a felling licence for trees in a private garden, but a Tree Preservation Order or conservation area can still apply to conifers. In a conservation area, you must give six weeks' written notice before cutting down or cutting back a tree with a trunk more than 75mm across, measured 1.5 metres above the ground. Slough Borough Council's Slough Maps service shows TPO trees and conservation areas (it has sometimes been unavailable, so contact its planning team if it will not load). Buckinghamshire Council has a protected tree map for Chiltern and South Bucks, for guidance only, and the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead has conservation area boundaries, including Datchet, on its Maps Online pages. We check before quoting, and can help with an application. See protected trees.

When the Leylandii Belong to a Neighbour

If a neighbour's conifers block light to your home or garden, the high hedges law (Part 8 of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003) may help. It covers a line of two or more mostly evergreen or semi-evergreen trees or shrubs over 2 metres tall; single trees and roots are not covered. Even when a complaint succeeds, the council cannot order the hedge removed or cut below 2 metres. Councils expect you to talk to your neighbour first, and Buckinghamshire Council also asks you to try mediation. In November 2026 Buckinghamshire listed a standard fee of £997.50 (complicated cases can cost more) and the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead listed £1,150. We could not find a high hedges page or fee for Slough Borough Council, so contact it directly, and always check the current figure before applying.

Nesting Birds and the Best Time

Dense leylandii make good nesting sites. The RSPB gives March to September as the main nesting season, and under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 it is an offence to damage or destroy a wild bird's nest while it is being built or used. Autumn and winter are the easiest times to remove conifers. Spring and summer work only goes ahead after a careful nest check. For a storm-damaged conifer, see emergency tree work; for tall conifers close to a house, a tree survey can help you decide.