Crown Reduction and New Fencing in Eastbourne

This job at a property in Eastbourne covered two things at once: a Robinia in the front garden that had outgrown its position, and every fence line on the plot. The tree was crown reduced and reshaped, and all three boundaries in the front garden and all three in the back garden were replaced with closed board fencing, finished with capping and round top posts. A new gate went into the front garden and a double gate went in at the back for vehicle access. A gas pipe, a fibre cable and a narrow gap between the two houses all had to be worked around. The sections below run through how each part was done.

A Robinia That Had Outgrown Its Position

The tree was a Robinia, also known as false acacia, growing in the front garden between two houses. The RHS lists it as a fast-growing, spreading tree that goes above 12 metres tall and more than 8 metres across. That is a lot of tree for a front garden on a modern estate, and this one had spread right across the frontage of both properties and closed in over the driveway and the street light.

There is a second reason not to leave a Robinia to its own devices. The branches are brittle and are known for breaking in storms and high winds. A crown that wide, sitting over parked cars, a footpath and two front doors, is not something to leave until a gale deals with it.

Bringing the Crown Back and Keeping the Shape

The crown was taken back all round and shaped so the tree keeps its natural outline rather than being left with a flat, cut-off top. A crown reduction makes a tree smaller while keeping its structure, so it regrows in a balanced way and ends up a smaller version of itself.

The difference shows in the two photographs. The crown is back within the bounds of the garden, daylight reaches the front of both houses and the driveway again, and the tree still reads as a tree rather than a stump on legs. The brash went through the chipper on site and was taken away with us.

Why a Crown Reduction Is Worth Doing

Crown reduction is one of the most common pieces of work we carry out on trees that are staying put, and it is seldom done for a single reason.

Size is usually what prompts the call. A tree that has grown past what its position can take starts blocking light to windows and gardens, getting in among street lights and cables, and dropping debris where people park and walk. Behind that sits the safety side, because a large, dense crown catches a great deal of wind, and taking some of that sail area out lowers the chance of a limb coming down. On a species like Robinia, with brittle wood to begin with, that counts for a good deal more.

The alternatives are worse. Felling is final. Topping a tree by cutting the main stems back to stubs leaves it disfigured and throws up weak, crowded regrowth that often causes more trouble than the original problem. A reduction carried out to industry guidance keeps the tree healthy and keeps its shape.

Time of year comes into it as well. The RHS advises pruning Robinia in late summer or early autumn so it does not bleed sap. Different species have different windows, so it is worth asking before the work is booked.

Closed Board Fencing to Six Boundaries

The fencing was the larger part of the job, and there was a good deal of it. All three boundaries in the front garden and all three in the back were taken out and replaced with closed board fencing, finished with capping along the top and round top posts.

Closed board is the stronger option because it arrives in separate pieces and is built in position, not delivered as a finished panel. That matters on a job like this one. Extras such as capping go on as the fence is assembled, and where a full bay will not fit a particular gap, the fencing can be cut down and fitted to the opening instead of leaving an awkward filler.

A Front Gate and a Double Gate for Vehicle Access

Two gates went in as part of the same job. The front garden got a new gate to match the new fencing, and the back garden got a double gate wide enough to get a vehicle through.

Fit is what matters most on a gate, and a double gate carrying vehicle access has to hang true or it will drop and catch. We can have gates made by hand by our supplier or by a small local joinery company, built to the exact opening, not bought in a standard size and made to fit, and we also supply ready-made gates where that suits the job and the budget better.

Working Around a Gas Pipe, a Fibre Cable and a Narrow Gap

Three things on this plot made the fencing more involved than a straight like-for-like replacement.

A gas pipe and a fibre cable both ran through ground the new fence line had to cross. Putting a post through a gas service or a fibre line is dangerous, expensive and disruptive for the whole street, so the fence line had to be set out and the posts placed so that both were avoided.

The third was the gap between the two houses, which was tight enough that a standard bay was never going to drop in. That is where closed board earns its place, because it is assembled on site and can be cut to the opening. The run between the houses was built to fit rather than forced in.

Setting out around live services and building to the opening takes longer than dropping panels into a straight run, and on this plot there was no other sensible way to do it.