header-logo header-logo

29 May 2019 / Andrew Francis
Issue: 7842 / Categories: Features , Property
printer mail-detail

Seeing the light through the trees

Andrew Francis explains why trees cannot & should not be ignored in right of light claims
  • The effect of trees and large bushes on light can cause a dispute to arise.

It is May, and as Thomas Hardy said ‘the May month flaps its glad green leaves like wings’*. In the cloistered world of rights of light the main concern will usually be the effect of proposed new buildings upon the light enjoyed by its neighbours. But in some cases, particularly as between residential properties, the effect of trees and large bushes on light can cause a dispute to arise. In such cases the High Hedges legislation (Pt 8 of the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003) may assist. This article is not about that remedy. This article is about whether trees and large shrubs etc (referred to generically here as ‘trees’) on the land over which a right of light is claimed (the servient land) should be taken into account when determining whether a proposed building, or structure on the

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

London Solicitors Litigation Association—John McElroy

London Solicitors Litigation Association—John McElroy

Fieldfisher partner appointed president as LSLA marks milestone year

Kingsley Napley—Kirsty Churm & Olivia Stiles

Kingsley Napley—Kirsty Churm & Olivia Stiles

Firm promotes two lawyers to partnership across employment and family

Foot Anstey—five promotions

Foot Anstey—five promotions

Firm promotes five lawyers to partnership across key growth areas

NEWS
Freezing orders in divorce proceedings can unexpectedly ensnare third parties and disrupt businesses. In NLJ this week, Lucy James of Trowers & Hamlins explains how these orders—dubbed a ‘nuclear weapon’—preserve assets but can extend far beyond spouses to companies and business partners 
A Court of Appeal ruling has clarified that ‘rent’ must be monetary—excluding tenants paid in labour from statutory protection. In this week's NLJ, James Naylor explains Garraway v Phillips, where a tenant worked two days a week instead of paying rent
Thousands more magistrates are to be recruited, under a major shake-up to speed up and expand the hiring process
Three men wrongly imprisoned for a combined 77 years have been released—yet received ‘not a penny’ in compensation, exposing deep flaws in the justice system. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Jon Robins reports on Justin Plummer, Oliver Campbell and Peter Sullivan, whose convictions collapsed amid discredited forensics, ‘oppressive’ police interviews and unreliable ‘cell confessions’
A quiet month for employment cases still delivers key legal clarifications. In his latest Employment Law Brief for NLJ, Ian Smith reports that whistleblowing protection remains intact even where disclosures are partly self-serving, provided the worker reasonably believes they serve the ‘public interest’ 
back-to-top-scroll