In message , Martin Brown
writes

are there smaller, more compact varieties?

Only if you hack them down regularly. I have one on my field boundary.
It is more multistemmed shrub than a tree and about 4m tall 3m spread
only half over my land. The cows prune the field side for me. I have
planted the Black Lace S. nigra cultivar to keep it company. That is
much slower growing and quite ornamental too.

I would still suggest scrumping elderberries from the hedgerow rather
than using your own growing space. Blueberries are much more rewarding.

Regards,
Martin Brown

I'd agree with that emphatically. I live adjacent to a park, with a
4ft No Man's Land in between. The elderberry tree which grew there was
the bane of my life, and I had to use an electric sabre saw to bring it
down, cut it up and drag the branches into the park.
The trunk was beginning to lift the park railings!

Phone the council? Waste of time.

The other bonus of having your own elderberry tree is that the bird
droppings on windows or patios are a delightful shade of purple, and
difficult to remove. ;-)
--
Gordon H
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