Sources of information and advice on hedgerow law
management and funding opportunities
Legal hedgerow issues
Hedgerows are protected by the Hedgerows Regulations 1997. Under the regulations, it is against the law to remove or destroy certain hedgerows without permission from the local planning authority.
Permission is required before removing hedges that are at least 20 metres in length, over 30 years old and contain certain species of plant. The local planning authority will asses the importance of the hedgerow using criteria set out in the regulations.
A summary of the law is contained in the Defra leaflet Hedgerow Regulations: Your Questions Answered. More detailed guidance is contained in The Hedgerows Regulations 1997: A Guide to the Law and Good Practice. You can request a copy of these, free of charge, by emailing farmland.conservation@defra.gsi.gov.uk
Managing hedgerows for wildlife
Natural England have produced three useful booklets on hedgerows that cover management, hedgerow trees and planting new hedgerows.
Download from www.naturalengland.org.uk/publications/default.htm
