Forum Topic

Tree query -Overground

Can anyone who lives on the Overground line help me with a query please?  My garden backs onto the railway line and there are some massive trees that have invaded the back of my garden blocking the sunlight during the late afternoon.  I would like to prune/cut branches from these trees but as their trunks are not on my land but I assume on Network Rail's land I am not sure what my rights are.  I have been to Acton Central on numerous occasions to ask but nobody ever gets back to me!

Tom Fowler ● 4514d6 Comments

Hi TomAs far as I know, if it does overgrow in your garden this is your right to do so. It is also unlikely that the Overground will do anything Realisticly this is their responsibilty to cut it and pay for it !Worth an email to them Ask at the ticket office they should be able to give you contactGood luck !

Philippe Bruyer ● 4514d

I don't think its anything to do with the Acton Central staff - which is why they won't have responded - they work for LOROL which runs the overground services and is quite separate from Network Rail which is extraordinarily unresponsive to this sort of question.It once took me 18 months to get any action on the bridge over the railway - and only then because Maurice Rohan who dealt with environment for Ealing in East Acton, was incredibly persistent. And that was just for access so the crap uner the bridge could be cleared. If you want NR to act, they almost certainly won't, if you just want to get on with clearing branches overhanging your land, I would email them and tell them so and get on with it. Tell them when you need a response by, that silence will imply consent and then wait for them not to answer!

Sara Nathan ● 4514d

You could try getting in touch with Network Rail Community Relations. Every so often there are track closures scheduled in advance at weekends which are used by Network Rail to carry out tree works along the line. Ask them to include the work on the trees which are cutting out light to your garden next time. Having said that It took fourteen years of negotiation with Network Rail to get trees close to the line (though in my own garden) cut back.

Cathy Collis ● 4512d

Just the fourteen years?Speedy...

Sara Nathan ● 4512d

We back onto the railway embankment. There is a strip of land, formerly a foot path between the edge of the residential properties and the railway fence which some people have absorbed into their gardens by pushing back their fence. This doesn't belong to the Railway co, and I have lobbed some trees in this area. The trees in the embankment get little maintenance unless they are near the track , it is a dense jungle and everything self seeds and propagates naturally which makes it a wildlife haven.

Kim Rugg ● 4511d

This is the 21st century and is this the service to be expected from whatever part of the Overland railway is responsible for trees on their land encroaching upon private land? (badly worded I know)There must be some way of getting them to respond to issues like this sooner than 14 years. I don't know, maybe MP could help, but I don't see why you have to do the work or pay someone else to do it, especially when it could cause injury to you or your property when cutting them down. Health & Safety may be an issue, so perhaps Environmental Health could help you in some way. It's totally unacceptable to expect this kind of service from a Company like this. It's ridiculous innit?

John Pollastrini ● 4511d