Council reveals plans to tackle high hedge disputes

Under the new legislation, anyone making a complaint about a high hedge will have to pay £360 to the council which, depending on the outcome, will be either partially or fully refunded.

The new legislation has been designed to help people who are affected by high hedges acting as a barrier to light to their domestic property; and to allow those with high hedges to engage with their neighbours.

Councillor Andrew Ewing, Chairman of the Council’s Environmental Service Committee, said any complaints they received would be investigated by the council, but he added residents are expected to try and resolve the issue before it got that far.

“It is not the responsibility of the Council to negotiate between neighbours but while investigating a complaint it will make a judgement as to whether or not the hedge concerned is adversely affecting the complainant’s reasonable enjoyment of their property” Mr Ewing said.

“Hedges are important as not only can they add to a property but they can also be a haven for wildlife. However, those hedges that are over two metres tall could cause problems for neighbours. The Act deals specifically with evergreen and semi-evergreen hedges which are the most popular type of hedges but present the most problems.”

The Council says it hopes the new legislation will encourage neighbours to work together to solve any hedge related issues without the need for Council involvement. Mr Ewing added: “Each complaint received by the Council under this legislation will be assessed on its own merit. If a complaint is deemed to be justified, the Council will serve a remedial notice on the hedge owner detailing what needs to be done to manage the hedge and when the work should be completed by.

“It is an offence to not comply with the terms of such a remedial notice; and a penalty of up to £1,000 can be imposed for non-compliance with the possibility of future fines if non-compliance should continue. I hope this new legislation will encourage communication between neighbours and resolve any ongoing high hedge issues across the Lisburn area,” he concluded.

For further information on the Act, a copy of the guidance notes, or a complaints form contact the Council’s Environmental Health Service on 028 9250 9250.