https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/UKDEVONCC/bulletins/39a5945

Spring 2024

This latest edition of Roadmap focusses on the latest data on Highway tree safety, hedge and grass cutting, and the spread of Ash dieback within the county.

Devon County Council and Devon Highways have worked tirelessly to mitigate the risks posed by trees and overgrown vegetation in our County. We trust this information will help residents make informed choices of their responsibilities, cyclical works and the need to keep the Highway safe for road traffic users.

Bob Stevenson, Corporate Tree Officer

Please share these messages with your communities

Landowners and occupiers are required by law to properly maintain their trees and vegetation bordering the highway.

Landowners are advised to regularly check the health of their trees and take action where appropriate. 

Ash Die Back continues to affect trees across Devon. Our records show that it was particularly widespread in North Devon last year. Information about tree maintenance and Ash Die Back can be found on our website.

Landowners should ensure that their trees and vegetation do not reduce visibility on the highway and that all highway users can pass safely.

Streetlights and road signs should also be clearly visible. Please encourage your community to consider the timing of their routine tree and hedge maintenance and consider both the need to protect highway users from hazards and to protect the environment. Additional guidance for landowners is available on our website.

English hedgerows will be further protected in law but maintenance to protect highway users will be permitted.

The legislation will include a two metre ‘buffer strip’ from the centre of hedgerows with no cultivation or application of pesticides or fertilisers, and a hedge cutting ban between 1 March and 31 August to protect nesting birds.

Cutting or trimming during the cutting ban period is permitted

• if the hedgerow overhangs a highway, road or footpath over which there is a public or private right of way and it obstructs the passage of, or is a danger to, vehicles, or users
• if the hedgerow is dead, diseased, damaged or insecurely rooted and because of its condition, it or part of it, is likely to cause danger by falling on to a highway, road or footpath

Maintaining highway verges

During ‘No Mow May’ we would like to highlight that we only carry out grass-cutting on highway verges in areas that are key to maintaining visibility, such as at junctions, laybys, and the inside of bends. Our aim when grass-cutting is to keep the highway safe and to maintain visibility for all road users.

The Parish Paths Partnership (P3)

The Parish Paths Partnerships Scheme (also known as the P3 scheme) is an initiative to ensure that the rights of way network is properly maintained and well publicised. It has the support of the National Association of Local Councils and is Devon County Council funded. The County Council was one of the first 15 Highway Authorities to participate in this scheme, which encourages community involvement and enjoyment of public rights of way. Devon County Council is working in partnership with parish/town councils, landowners and local voluntary groups. The main aim is to improve the condition of the local rights of way and keep them open and used properly.

View parishes that are currently part of the Parish Paths Partnership (P3) Scheme on a map