Trees in Highways & Streets

Trees in streets and highways are managed by us here at Eastbourne Borough Council under an agreement with East Sussex County Council.

Overhanging Trees & Vegetation

If a tree is overhanging in to your private property from your neighbour then you need to speak to the owner of the tree to prune it back. If they refuse you are legally entitled to prune it back if you:

• cut only to the boundary line,
• do not trespass on their property, and
• offer the cuttings back to the owner

Before any work is undertaken make sure there is not Tree Preservation Order on the tree in question and that it is not in a conservation area.

Overhanging trees or vegetation from private property onto the highway is dealt with by the Highway Authority. We can forward details to the relevant authority on your behalf who will then send a letter to the property in question requesting the tree to be cut back.

Tree Pruning

All street trees are subject to inspection and pruned on a ward-by-ward basis and prioritised based on our inspections. We can prune at other times if a tree is creating a "legal" nuisance by:

• touching properties or buildings,
• obstructing footpaths,
• obstructing roads, or
• if they are in a dangerous state.

We do not carry out three pruning or inspections for private residents. You can contact an approved contractor or other professional arborists to do tree work for you. Before any work is undertaken you need to make sure that there is no Tree Preservation Order on the tree in question and that it is not in a conservation area.

Tree Planting

All tree planting has to be approved by East Sussex County Council. They have a set budget to spend and it will depend on the suitability of potential planting sites. 

Money is raised for planting new trees from donations, public partnerships and the sale of timber from our tree management operations.

Our tree donation scheme has resulted in a greater diversity of age and species of trees throughout Eastbourne. The continuation of this scheme is essential to replace trees as they reach over maturity.

We have partnerships with residents groups who support our work. To ensure the continuation of tree planting in streets with no grass verges and limited space for establishment, it will be necessary to utilise alternative methods to ensure the character of an area is not lost.

Green Business initiatives have also been successful in the past to provide tree planting in industrial areas for the benefit of local companies.

Tree Removals

Trees cannot be removed if they are making a sticky mess on your car or blocking the light into your property. We consider light aspects during our routine inspections and we can inspect a tree if you contact us.

If a tree outside your property has falling fruit and leaves or there are lots of bird droppings on your footpath and it needs cleaning please contact our Cleansing Team. They regularly clean footpaths and pavements in Eastbourne.

Tree Roots

Roads and Highways are inspected every six months by a highway inspector. If tree roots have disrupted or damaged a footpath or pavement they will organise for the area to be repaired.

Street Trees

There is an estimated 4500 trees growing in our streets and 2500 of these are Elms. The Elms were planted in Meads and parts of Devonshire and Upperton in the 1880's followed by Roselands, Old Town and Hampden Park in the 1920's.

A number of pavements in our town are wide enough to accommodate a mature Elm but quite of few of them are not and two populations of Elms are now a size where they have a damaging effect on the pavements where they stand.

Due to the age and size of certain trees unfortunately there will not be many Elms left in Roselands, Hampden Park and Old Town within five to ten years. Others may also be removed due to rooting problems and trunk size increases.

The involvement of residents' groups and conservationists is very important. With all of us working together we may be able to recreate avenues and plant new ornamental trees.