Japanese Knotweed | Landmark Court of Appeal Ruling
The landowners who took on Network Rail and won last year had the upheaval of Network Rail appealing the decision, but this appeal was rejected by three Court of Appeal judges on 3 July.
As Japanese Knotweed is quite commonly seen on railway embankments, this will surely now open the floodgates to many more claims against Network Rail given the amount of properties that are in close proximity to the railway and are fighting the spread of this persistent plant onto their land.
To give you a bit of information from a surveyors point of view, Japanese Knotweed is very invasive, grows and spreads quickly, and can have a devastating impact on land and property, causing untold damage and leaving people with hefty bills to remove it from affected areas.
Additionally, mortgage companies tend to get cold feet when Japanese Knotweed is within 7 metres of a property boundary, so even if it hasn’t quite reached your land yet it can still have a hugely detrimental effect on you and your ability to sell.
What to look out for;
- Heart-Shaped Leaves
- White Flowers During the Summer Months
- Bamboo like stems
There are rules to follow when treating and disposing of Japanese Knotweed in order to avoid falling foul of the law including fines and possible imprisonment, check out the government link below for more info on this.
We as surveyors see it more and more in the course of our jobs, and so if you have concerns as to whether you have Japanese Knotweed on or near your land, go and speak to your local chartered surveyor for some advice.
If you are based in the Northwest Merseyside Cheshire area, please do get in touch with us, we would be happy to talk to you!
Government Guidance to prevent the spread of Japanese Knotweed
