Lobster writes:

Lobster wrote:
There is a large hedge (acer, I think?)

Hang on, sorry, actually privet (I think!)

I'm reducing the size of one of mine slowly. When it started shooting
back in the spring I started chopping out occasional upright branches,
and cut the height down to about 6" lower than I wanted. The top has
now sprouted and can now be kept trimmed to the new height, the sides
are taking longer to fill in as the new shoots come in quicker with
light, but as they do I'm taking out more of the outside branches to
narrow the hedge.

I'm told privet will take very drastic cutting back, so I could have
done it all in one go, but I didn't want to lose the screening so I'm
putting up with it looking scruffy between thinnings and will probably
land up finishing it off next year.

Anthony