See what you mean - definitely time to let some more light in. Its a nice design but everything's got a bit too big hasn't it? Good luck with removing the tree - there certainly isn't room for it to grow to maturity!

Hmm... I'd definitely be getting rid of the front hedge. And I think I'd go really retro and in an herbaceous border with some tall grasses instead - not pampas grass but maybe a miscanthus sinensis - something to waft about a bit. I'd lighten up the islands - no need to get rid of them but some hard pruning to get them back to the sizes they were when your wife was looking after them. And plant some bulbs for bursts of colour to break up the green.

having seen plenty of monkey puzzles around London growing in tiny front gardens, unless you really hate it, I'd be inclined to prune off the lower branches, which seem to be growing in tiers. Certainly take off the lowest 'tier' and maybe chance the second one too if its in the way, back to the trunk, and see how it does. You'll need a good, strong pair of loppers. I can't tell what's growing around it, hope it's not ivy, that's more trouble than the monkey puzzle..

Then I'd concentrate on getting the hedge out, and plant with something lower as suggested on the other thread - nowhere for people to lurk out of sight and increased light levels in the garden generally. If you change your mind about the monkey puzzle after the new hedge is sorted, deal with that then. It may not be easy to get all the roots out, given they likely by now will have spread beneath the paving surrounding the raised bed. There are ways of dealing with that to an extent, but its a big job, as is getting out the old hedging, so one thing at a time I reckon!

YES ! I'm on the right track here - I've already pruned off the 2 lowest sets of branches, and I'll be delighted to take off 2 more - once I've got some armour on. I was well dressed last time but it was still a painfull job.