Vegetation overhanging or causing obstruction on roads
If vegetation is overhanging the carriageway, footway or obscuring street lighting or road signs, under the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 we have the authority to issue a notification to the owner to ask them to remove it within 21 days. If this is not done, a statutory notification is issued advising them they have 28 days to deal with the issue, thereafter the council may carry out the work and recover the costs from them.
The criteria are as follows:
- Public footway
- Carriageway
- Visibility at bends or junctions
- Visibility in relation to your driveway
- Street lighting
- Road signs
Trees, hedges, shrubs or other vegetation overhanging the public footway thereby obstructing the width available to pedestrians and in particular to wheelchair users and pushchairs. The full footway width must be available to pedestrians, up to a height of 2.5 metres above footway level.
Trees, hedges, shrubs or other vegetation overhanging the public road such as to conflict with vehicular traffic. The full width of the carriageway plus a further 1 metre width back from the carriageway edge should be clear of overhanging vegetation, up to a height of 5 metres above carriageway level.
Visibility at bends or junctions
Trees, hedges, shrubs or other vegetation growing at a height in excess of 1 metre above the adjacent carriageway surface level, at a location where the result of such vegetation growth interferes with visibility and thereby poses a potential hazard in terms of road safety. No vegetation at this location should exceed 1 metre height.
Visibility in relation to your driveway
Trees, hedges, shrubs or other vegetation growing at a height in excess of 1 metre above road surface level at a location where the result of such vegetation growth interferes with visibility in relation to your driveway and thereby poses a potential hazard in terms of road safety.
Trees, hedges, shrubs or other vegetation growing within close proximity to a street lighting column, the effect of which is considered to unduly restrict the amount of light being emitted onto the public road or prevent access to carry out repairs.
Trees, hedges, shrubs or other vegetation causing obstruction of a road sign, the effect of which results in approaching road users not being able to clearly read the sign.