Service · Hedge removal
When the hedge has to go — for a new driveway, a wall, a fence, or because it is just wrong for the position. I take it out, grind the stumps, and leave the ground ready for whatever comes next.
Removing a long-established hedge on Thanet Upper Chalk often surprises homeowners. Root systems lace sideways into the thin sand-cap topsoil rather than going down — you can have a 50-year-old privet hedge whose root mass is in the top 20cm of soil but extends 1.5m out from the line. Stump grinding picks up the main stems but the lateral root mass needs hand-clearing where you're planning to plant or build on the strip afterwards. On front-line Escallonia and Griselinia, the salt-hardened stems come out easier than you'd expect; on inland Leylandii, the buttress roots are the real work.
Removal triggers more careful CA checks than cutting or reduction. Hedging-species removal is allowed without a notice — but if there are any standards within the hedge (a holly, a mature hornbeam, an inherited yew) over the 75mm threshold, those need six-week notice or a TPO check. I do this before quoting, not on the day.
Listed-property boundary work: Margate Old Town has 2 Grade I, 10 Grade II* and 254 Grade II listed buildings, and boundary walls / gates / railings in a listed property's curtilage are also listed by default. Replacing a hedge with a wall — or removing a wall to plant a hedge — needs Listed Building Consent. I'll flag this at quote stage.
Standard hedging-species clippings and small branches go to Manston Road HWRC (CT9 4LX, Mon–Sat 08:00–16:30, Sun 09:00–16:00, booking required) under my EA waste-carrier registration. Larger trunk wood from removed standards is chipped for green disposal. Nothing burned on site. HWRC doesn't accept commercial waste — that's why the licensed-carrier route matters and why untraceable "man with a van" removal is a bad idea.
Removal pricing depends almost entirely on access. A 10m hedge with vehicle access for a chipper and grinder is straightforward — typically £600 – £1,200. The same hedge in a tight Cliftonville terrace front garden with everything wheelbarrow-out is materially more work. Fixed price, per job.
Always on every job
A proper job or you pay nothing 10% off for pensioners 10% off repeat jobs over £500For removals, a quick on-site visit beats remote quoting — I need to walk the access route and check what is underneath. Free, no obligation. hello@margatehedges.co.uk or 07763 100 477.