§ Lord Joplingasked Her Majesty's Government:
What are the comparative costs of regular trimming of hedges alongside the southern stretches of the M1 motorway by machine compared to the current practice of leaving hedges to grow for a long period of years followed by the traditional craft of cutting and laying by hand. [HL 1550]
§ The Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Lord Macdonald of Tradeston)The relative cost of cutting and laying hedges is £10 per linear metre and £2.25 per linear metre for machine trimming.
Where regular trimming is required for the safety of road users, the Highways Agency uses machines. However, in locations where less immediate intervention is required, the traditional cutting and laying method is considered as an option, which generally provides stronger and healthier hedges. In these locations, the overall cost difference between the two methods over the longer term is comparable (£1 per linear metre per year for cutting and laying and £1.13 per linear metre per year for machine trimming).