Following the introduction of similar pieces of legislation in England and Wales (Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003) and Jersey (the High Hedges (Jersey) Law 2008), the High Hedges (Guernsey) Law, 2016 comes into force today (2 October 2017).
The law sets to provide a remedy for property owners whose reasonable enjoyment of their property is diminished by the presence of a large, obtrusive hedges and no relief can be obtained through contact with the offending hedge's owner. The wording of the law is quite prescriptive in that it is to be used as a last resort where all reasonable steps have been taken.
The new law provides a robust system of complaint for property owners who would otherwise have no relief in instances where the dispute cannot be resolved amicably between the parties. Primarily, the law will act as a deterrent, but only time will tell as to how effective it will be.
