Plymouth neighbours row over 35ft trees Published duration 7 September 2010

media caption Neighbours object to large Leylandii tree

A dispute has broken out in a Plymouth street over the height of trees surrounding a property.

David Alvand, of Weston Mill, has planted about 16 Leyland cypress trees at the front of his house which stand about 35ft (10.6m) tall.

Residents in the street have complained to Plymouth City Council.

The council said it was hoping further mediation would resolve the dispute before its tree officers visited the street to see if action was necessary.

The Leyland cypress trees which Mr Alvand planted overshadow the house and road.

He told the BBC that there was "no story to tell" and that he had "nothing to say" on the matter.

In a statement, the council said it had put the complaint on hold to see if a resolution could be found without the council's involvement.

The statement continued: "If Mr Alvand and his neighbours cannot agree a way forward, then our tree officers will need to visit the property and take measurements to determine the 'action hedge height' and establish what, if any, remedial action needs to be taken."

Roger Palfrey, 71, who lives opposite Mr Alvand said: "You certainly can't see the house through the trees.

image caption Roger Palfrey, who lives opposite, said you cannot see Mr Alvand's house through the trees

"I'm concerned, although they're quite nice to look at and it's a roost for the birds, the rootage system underneath must be phenomenal.

"It can't be doing the infrastructure underneath the roads any good."

Mr Palfrey is friends with Roger Coath who lives next door to Mr Alvand.

He said: "I know Roger [Coath] doesn't like heights and the gutters are full of needles, and he can't grow any grass or decent lawn in his front garden because the sunlight doesn't get there."

This is the second time Mr Alvand has faced a formal complaint over the use of his land.

In 2003, he lost a legal battle against a 3m (9.84ft) high wall built around his property, which neighbours dubbed the "Berlin Wall".

A jury at Plymouth Crown Court decided that Mr Alvand had failed to comply with a planning enforcement order and fined him £700 with costs of £2,500.