THE  PROBLEMS RESULTING FROM HIGH HEDGES IN URBAN AREAS:  
 

  • Loss of amenity.
    For owners of residential properties or the general public, high hedges can result in the substantial loss of light, views and vistas. Hedges that cast shade on a neighbouring property can have a major impact on a person’s enjoyment of land. If a hedge totally blocks out sunlight from the house and yard the house may become damp and mouldy and require more heating. It may make washing harder to dry, make it difficult to grow plants in the yard and block sunlight from a solar powered heater. A person may also be denied the chance to “bask in the sun” on his or her property. There are also potential financial consequences. The impact of a building on access to sunlight is becoming of increasing concern in building and development applications. As part of their local policies, some councils have detailed provisions which aim to maximize the use of solar energy in new buildings and developments. (Law Reform Commission Report 88 (1998) – Neighbour and Neighbour Relations)  “Loss of access to a view can affect the enjoyment of property as well as substantially affect the value of a property. The effect of a new building on access to a view is becoming an important consideration in building and development applications and in common law. “(Law Reform Commission Report 88 (1998) – Neighbour and Neighbour Relations)

 
 
  • Social and community costs. Uncontrolled hedges have resulted in extreme animosity between neighbours. An estimated 100,000 Britons were locked in hedge wars with neighbours before legislation was brought in there. In the UK, “hedge rage” caused two neighbours to shoot each other dead in 2003 after a bitter dispute over a hedge. Another man collapsed and died after a fierce argument with his neighbour over a hedge while another man shot dead a neighbour over a privet hedge. ”It is not in the public interest for neighbourhood disputes to remain unresolved. Such disputes can affect the health of the community; they may result in assaults and end up involving the public resources of the police and the criminal justice system.” (Law Reform Commission Report No. 88 ‘Neighbour and Neighbour Relations’)

 
 
  • Economic cost. Hedges can result in a significant loss in house values when there is massive loss of light and/or views In addition, hedges (and particularly fast growing hedges) are costly to maintain. Leighton Green hedges, for example, need to be managed from the day they are planted ie. have their tips and side branches trimmed. They then require regular pruning 3-4 times a year to keep them manageable – for the rest of their life! 100 years!! The burden of the cost can lead to tension between concerned parties.

 
 
  • Environmental Cost: High hedges both result in loss of biodiversity and often result in massive loss of solar access to properties. A tall evergreen hedge planted close to a boundary can significantly affect the amount of sunlight and warmth reaching habitable spaces, thus requiring the additional use of non-renewable energy sources both to heat and provide light. This increased use of electricity results in increased carbon emissions.
  
     
 

 
 

THE PROBLEMS RESULTING FROM HIGH HEDGES IN RURAL AREAS:

  
 

  • Alteration of rural landscapes and loss of district views: Rural landscapes may be of significance for their historic, cultural and environmental qualities. These are of importance to local residents and the general public for their unique local qualities and to the local economy through the tourism industry. These assets are being altered in districts such as the Southern Highlands of NSW due to the large scale planting of Leighton Green hedges.

  • Loss of Biodiversity. Monoculture hedges such as Leighton Green hedges are environmentally unfriendly. The ground beneath them is almost sterile – very few plants will grow under them. Native flora and fauna, good bugs and soil bacteria are compromised – increasingly disappearing native habitat and biodiversity are reduced even more.

  • Negative Environmental impacts: Leighton Green hedges are a threat to Endangered Ecological Communities such as the Southern Highlands Shale Woodlands and Robertson Tall Open Forests. These endangered ecological communities (EEC’s) are protected by law (NP & WS). Many new ‘lifestyle’ landholders are escapees from the cities, even if only for weekends. Their desire for privacy leads them to planting quick growing hedges such as Leighton Green Cypress, without fully realizing their potential size. Not only do they plant these hedges around their residence, but also on their boundaries, which may be some distance from their residence, but very close to their neighbour's house and gerden. Often immediately outside their boundary there may be remnant woodland such as the Southern Highlands Shale Woodlands. The vigorous, fast growing hedges will outgrow the native trees, alter the microclimate (ie. light, soil temperature, soil moisture, air temperature) and consequently threaten the health and life of the endangered ecological community.

  • Negative effect on driver safety. Large scale plantings are taking place on private property, but also close to and parallel to Main, Local and Designated Tourist roads. Thoughtless planting of hedges along the road boundaries can obstruct vision on bends and at road junctions. They can create ice patches on roads. When hedges are planted on both sides of a road, they will eventually create dark, tunnel-like drives.

  • Rural.economic cost: As they grow, Leighton Green hedges will increasingly have a negative impact on crops and pasture, causing loss of production. Frost, ice and wet areas can remain in paddocks before the sun reaches them because of the shading produced by these hedges.

  • Fire hazard: The Leighton Green tree is known to be highly combustible. Anecdotal evidence of a local resident wanting a B& B license, but being knocked back by a fire assessor because of a large Leighton Green hedge on an adjacent rural property but close to the house. As rural hedges, they will not regenerate if burned, compared with native wind/shelter belts which will restore themselves in time.

  • Other problems: Hedges can also be hazardous to electricity suppliers, water mains, TV and Internet reception.