hi amsterdam what ever you do put in just be careful i can see a drain of some sort in the picture so make sure what ever you put in wont damage whatever is down there.drains should be about2/ 3 foot down you would have to put goodness back into the ground because it would have been stripped of it with the conifer plenty of manure etc now would be a good time before the birds start nesting.good luck.

From the look of it you should take it out. It's had it.

You could put in one of the Mahonia varieties which grow to about 2.5 m. They are evergreen and though the leaves are slightly prickly they aren't sharp like holly leaves. Mahonia has yellow flowers, some bloom in winter. Check them out.

I've said this before with regards to mole plow use but it will go for this too...know where your subsurface utilities are (electrical, gas, cable etc, ) before you make a go of it. WARNING!....that is not a drain but a cover to a utility box!!! I enlarged the photo for a better look. Those dark areas are the shadows cast by square pegs on the lid to keep one from slipping when stepping upon it.

I would be carefully of the drain when taking out the dead conifer as the roots could be round some of the underground pipes, the best way to deal with this is to cut all the main foliage away so you have a trunk that you can use as a lever to carefully Wealde out the root system once you have dug down and cut some of the roots away, once achieved then clear out all the impoverishesd soil and add some decent soil/compost ready for your new plant, however it maybe better to avoid replanting so you don't have another problem in a few years time, taking the conifer out could open up a can of worms with neighbours sewage pipes so be careful, if you do decide to plant then pyracantha is a good choice, yes plenty of thorns but it's evergreen, flowers in late spring and gives masses of red/orange or yellow berries throughout the autumn and winter, or would a large planter on the manhole cover be worth considering, plenty of plants would look good if this were your option.

All I can see is a driving hazard. Why plant a blockade at the start of your driveway? Pulling out in reverse is tricky enough. I would sprinkle a few grass seeds and call it a day - or low growing ground cover.

my dad put a shrub on the corner of the drive where we grew up and insisted we always reversed in. his reasoning was two fold.
1 if you missed in the reversing, the shrub yielded, the brick wall didn't and
2. warm tyres make the care more manoeuvrable and you will not have the issue of icy windows etc. on a cold morning also adding to your woes.

we also lived on a main road and it is just generally safer to drive forward. all 4 of us kids were complemented on our reverse/parallel parking by the examiner. Dad taught us to drive so he was really chuffed about that.

but I agree Bathgate why plant such a high one! front or backing out the view is hindered.

Yes, my neighbor nearly ran over a lady pushing a baby carriage because a monster bush like this one blocked his view, until he was almost on top of her. Luckily she had the attentiveness to pull back. That bush is long gone.

I would use Euonymus japonica 'Aureus' previously sold as 'aureo picta' . At maturity, it'll be about 6 to 8 feet tall, and about 4-6 feet wide - but, you can prune it with a hedgetrimmer and keep it the shape you want by going over it in May and possibly again in late summer, as it gets older.

Thanks guys for all your suggestions. After having spent 5 hours getting the */£@! thing out, (see the pictures) I haven't quite made up my mind but your suggestions were very helpful. Am going to my favourite garden centre, the Dingle and will have a look. The new planting will definitely not be as high but I will plant something that can be cut to size and shape.

Let us know what you decide, Amsterdam. And well done for removing it.

Thanks Arbuthnot. Have prepared the soil by digging in rich compost as it was very dry as no water could get through the thick dead bushy conifer growth. Funnily enough it hasn't rained since yesterday when it could do with a good soaking but am convinced that it will rain soon!