Veg plot project

   

   

Here is a question for everyone which has got me pondering more after the recent thread regarding having £1k to spend on the garden. 
Here is an aerial picture of my veg patch area and a rough plan with approx measurements to our boundaries instead of the hedges currently. We have a small apple tree in situ roughly where the scribble is. There are also some soft fruit bushes and an edged bed in the area but these are moveable. 

I'm after peoples thoughts regarding a few things. The south and west boundaries are leylandii hedges which our previous house owners have let get overgrown, we are keeping them at their current size as best we can but at approx 8-10' high and 5-7' thick they need to go. 
I'm wondering whether to replace the south boundary with a low ish (4-5') hedge or fence (our neighbours say they're happy with anything different and are willing to help with cost). I'm thinking with the west hedge to do a fence to keep veg patch separate from the lawn beyond and on the west side grow cordon fruit trees. I cant decide where to put the break in the fence, either by the shed corner or in the middle where the hole through the hedge currently is.

Next in the grand plan is probably some extra beds, I may get rid of the edged bed in the middle and make several smaller ones in a potager style arrangement. 
All thoughts and suggestions greatly taken. 

PS we know the ground under the hedge is going to need lots of organic matter to rejuvenate it. Also we have at another boundary approx 150' of mixed deciduous mainly hawthorn hedge which we majorly replanted a few years ago to make it stock proof again, so I may be looking at something different for this area for more diversity.

   

   

Photos taken yesterday as I was trimming the hedges (they need to go as they are doing my nut in).

I'm still trying to understand you garden and plan!!
Is the drive yours, because that laurel hedge is enormous and, with the leylandii on the other side they're squeezing your veg plot. You could gain a lot more space and light if you remove or narrow the hedges.

Yes, the laurel hedge and drive are ours. The veg patch is accessed through a gap in the short leylandii hedge from our back garden. The drive is approx 3' higher than the veg patch area due to the land sloping. The laurel does need a trip back on the veg plot side but quickly gets in to thick stems in the middle and I've been concerned that if I cut it too hard back it wouldn't sprout from the thickest bits.
I may just have to be braver with it.

Its almost impossible to kill laurel. I've been trying to get rid of some for years!

Ok, I'll halve its width, your fault if it dies veggie.
This is an aerial shot of our whole plot, farmers field to the west, neighbours house to south and main road on the east boundary. Our house and separate garage, lawn with sheds and the veg patch.


   

That's better, it all makes sense now!!
Take out the half on the veg plot side, then nobody on the drive side will know.

OK, so laurel hedge is back with a vengeance and getting more of a renovation prune to get some of the thick bits out the middle later in the year.
Now I've started to think about raised beds and rotation. How many beds do people use? Do you favour a 3 or 4 rotation system? I'm guessing veggie may not do this so formally? I'm trying to plan how many beds to build and therefore how bigvi van make em. Also what space between beds do people favour?

I told you that laurel was impossible to kill!!
Can't help with rotation or number of beds because, as you've guessed, I don't have a clue. Number and size of beds probably depends on how much space you have and what you want to grow.

I don't do raised beds but have traditional veg plots that get dug over. I would think your first thought should be what you want to grow, then consider rotation (or possibly not). I don't grow potatoes and not many brassicas so I rotate loosely over two big plots each divided in half, i.e 4 spaces, legumes, roots, onions and misc - sweetcorn/courgettes etc. That's the plan, but it never works