Frequently asked questions
This section aims to save you time by answering some of the questions we’re most frequently asked about vegetation and boundaries. If, after reading it, you are still concerned we are always happy to help you. Click on the button at the right hand side of the page for details.
Please bear in mind that all the Parks Trust’s operations are carried out within a wider framework of landscape management across the whole of Milton Keynes and in a time frame which spans generations. We have over 10,000 neighbours with properties adjacent to our land. Therefore, it is rarely possible to carry out work to suit every individual householder’s requirements which may, at times, be in conflict with the overall design vision of the City of Trees - the vision which the Trust strives to uphold.
A branch overhangs my boundary. What can I do?
Overhanging material is usually dealt with as part of our thinning and coppicing programme. Unfortunately, it is not practical for us to respond immediately unless the overhanging branches are causing, or are likely to cause, damage to your property. If you prefer not to wait, you can cut the branch at the point at which it enters your property. The only exception to this are trees which are protected (see below). Hedges which run alongside garden boundaries are usually routinely cut twice a year on the Trust side.
How do I know whether the trees adjacent to my boundary are legally protected?
A small number of older trees in Milton Keynes are protected by a Tree Preservation Order (TPO). Others are protected because they are situated within a conservation area. The Park’s Trust’s landscape staff can usually advise you whether the trees bordering your property are protected. But it is the local authority, Milton Keynes Council, which is responsible for administering TPOs and conservation areas within the city. If in doubt contact the Council before undertaking tree work. The Council’s Arboricultural Officer may be contacted on: 01908 252572.
All Parks Trust tree-felling operations are subject to a plan which has been approved by the Forestry Commission.
Why have you let the trees grow high enough to block the light to my garden and make it shady?
The Parks Trust believes it is important to be a good and responsible neighbour. When we are thinning plantations along garden boundaries where possible we favour smaller trees and shrubs in order to minimise the effect of tree shade on gardens. It is inevitable that with so many tree-covered areas bordering gardens, some gardens will at some time be in the shade.
Why do you cut trees down?
There are a number of reasons why you may see our contractors removing trees. In some cases, such as our willow plantations, the trees were grown as a crop to be harvested. In other cases we may remove trees where they have become diseased or present a hazard to the public.
In the majority of cases, however, tree thinning is part of a careful programme of traditional landscape management designed to create and maintain the beautiful parks and open spaces we all enjoy in Milton Keynes today. Our woodlands, spinneys and the planting alongside the roads did not grow like that but have been carefully managed to provide a healthy,safe and above all attractive landscape for us to enjoy and for wildlife to thrive in. For more information see the Introduction to managing the landscape page.
Why have you cut down the shrubs and killed them?
Cutting back some shrubs in the dormant season is an important an traditional technique that actually promotes the plants’ health and allows rich, vibrant regrowth that brings colour to the landscape. See the Introduction to managing the landscape page for a fuller description of this method, which is known as coppicing.
Why have you thinned out the trees near my property, making it less secure?
Security of property is a matter for the occupier. Landscape plantings were never intended to act as security barriers. It is not possible to manage them effectively in this way.
What can I do about your thinning and coppicing programme which has reduced the screening around my property and taken away my privacy?
Trees and shrubs are constantly growing and changing and need proper management. Regular thinning and coppicing does involve opening up areas from time to time, but as light levels increase and nutrients become more available, tree and shrub re-growth increases dramatically to fill the space. Find out more about traditional woodland management techniques.
What about increased noise levels I experience since you thinned the trees and shrubs nearby?
Noise issues usually arise where homes are adjacent to the parkways or grid roads. While trees and shrubs may have a limited effect on noise levels it is actually the width and mounding of roadside reservations that has the most impact on noise reduction in residential areas. All noise attenuation planning considerations in Milton Keynes were calculated ignoring any potential effect of vegetation.
Can you do anything about the leaves falling into my garden in the autumn and causing a nuisance?
We appreciate that while dead leaves are not a nuisance in the legal sense of causing ‘substantial harm’ they can be irritating. Unfortunately, it is simply not practical for the Parks Trust to remove leaf litter from individual gardens.
Will tree roots which are crossing my property boundary damage my foundations?
Like tree branches, roots do not respect boundaries. Removal of larger trees and vigorous shrubs adjacent to property boundaries helps to reduce the problem. Occasionally on clay soils tree roots may cause shrinkage beneath a building foundation causing differential settlement particularly where foundations are shallow or inadequate. Most modern Milton Keynes homes are built with foundations which are deep enough to avoid the effects of clay shrinkage from trees growing on Parks Trust land. There are many other causes of subsidence other than tree roots extracting moisture.
If you are concerned that roots from the Parks Trust’s trees have damaged your property please inform us as soon as possible. You should also consult your property insurers or seek other professional advice.
Why didn’t the Parks Trust consult me before undertaking work near my property?
We believe it is important to consult with our neighbours regarding unusual work or developing matters; it would be impossible to do so over routineoperations like thinning and coppicing which are carried out all over the city on a daily basis. However, we are always happy to deal with your queries, and you can check upcoming works, which are posted on this website.
Why are all the Horse Chestnut trees dying?
Horse chestnut trees in the UK have been under increasing attack from two diseases, the horse chestnut leaf miner, Cameraria ohridella, and from a fungal pathogen causing stem bleeding, commonly known as bleeding canker.
Leaf miner causes leaf damage, as the larvae of the moth mine within the horse chestnut leaves. Severely damaged leaves shrivel and turn brown by late summer and fall early, well before normal leaf fall in the autumn.
Though the disease affects the appearance of the trees there is no evidence that it is severely affecting the trees’ health. Horse chestnuts are surviving repeat infestations but grow back the following year – it’s thought because the larvae don’t attack until quite late in the growing season.
Canker, on the other hand, can cause the dieback or branches in the tree canopy and even the death of the tree, and needs to be carefully managed if it is spotted. Both conditions are being carefully monitored on a nationwide basis.
Can I take dead wood from the parks, grid roads or woodlands?
Dead wood provides an important habitat for insect life, which in turn supports the rich variety of birds and butterflies you see in the parks. So we’d prefer you to leave dead wood where it is.
We do harvest and sell logs from some of the trees that are felled during thinning operations. These log piles are the property of the Parks Trust until they are cut or chipped for use elsewhere in the parks or for sale. Find out about firewood sales here.
