We have a fair-sized, well-established beech hedge in our garden,
growing against a boundary fence. It (the hedge, not the fence) is
probably about 10' tall, 14' wide and 6' deep, and that's too big.

I'd like to cut this back in three directions: to allow our neighbours
more light by reducing its height; to free up more space in our garden
by cutting the longer growths at the front, and to create space for a
shady border underneath by cutting back completely to the trunks from
ground level up to about 2-3' height, at least from the front.

The idea is to have a healthy growth between 2-3' and about 7-8' in
height that's about 2-3' in depth, with about the same width as now.

Will the beech survive this operation? If so, when's the best time to
do it? Any other tips?

Our garden runs N-S, and the beech is on the E side, for what
difference that makes. Oh, and I think sparrows nest in it. It's
always full of them.

Thanks in advance for any pointers for a delurking newbie.
--
John H