A man from Clifton has said he is "frustrated" an exit at the back of his house is blocked by bushes, which have also caused damage to his fence. Mark Lees, 54, lives on Thistledown Road and his property backs on to grounds owned by Highbank Primary & Nursery School.
At the back of his garden is a three-metre or so wide path, with a hedge that acts as a boundary between the walkway and the grounds of the school. But overgrowth here has caused Mr Lees problems.
In case of an emergency, he said he would be unable to get down the path as it is blocked by undergrowth. He says it has previously damaged fence panels and he has had to replace them at his own expense. Mr Lees says knee problems prevent him from tackling the overgrowth properly, and his elderly neighbours are unable to cut it back either.
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Mr Lees said: "If I had to get out the back, I wouldn't be able to, it's frustrating that it hasn't been fixed. It's supposed to be done twice a year, and when it has been done in the past, most of it has been left behind.
"I understand it's the school's responsibility to cut both sides, and it's been that way for as long as the nine years I've lived here. I tried to cut the top once this year and fell through the hedge, I just don't have the right equipment.
"I've tried to get in touch with the school a few times but haven't heard back. It would be great to just get it sorted."
A statement from Highbank Primary & Nursery School said: "We have been made aware of this situation and understand why Mr Lees is upset. We are very community-minded and will always take any complaint of this nature seriously.
"While we empathise with Mr Lees, the school has a grounds maintenance contract with Nottingham City Council and, as a condition of the contract, they cut the grass and maintain the boundary hedges as required. The hedge in question, which overhangs the pathway, is not part of the school.
"However, as soon as Mr Lees made contact with the school back in 2020, Mrs Shelton-Bourke (Highbank Primary School's business manager) contacted Nottingham City Council. We were informed that there had been a visit to the property just two weeks earlier and had agreed that the hedge should be trimmed as a priority.
"Last week, Mrs Shelton-Bourke informed Mr Lees during his visit to the school, that she would contact the City Council again this week, which she did. We have received the following response this morning from the Grounds Maintenance team at the City Council.
"'We have spoken to the grounds maintenance team at Nottingham City Council and the hedge cutting has been arranged for the school over the next couple of weeks. It is council policy - due to nesting birds - that the hedges are not cut until late July.
"'The grounds team have stated that there are issues with pathways being blocked by items that have been fly tipped and householders hedges being overgrown that sometime causes issues for the grounds teams being able to get to the hedges.'”
Nottingham City Council has confirmed it will look into this.
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