Leigh Park home gradually vanishing behind huge hedgerow
OVERGROWN The bush outside the homes in Leigh Park
IT’S so tall it nearly reaches the roof. And now this giant hedge could land a homeowner in court.
Havant Borough Council is considering taking enforcement action against the owner of a property in Boldre Close, Leigh Park, where dense plants have been left to grow over 10ft tall.
The front of the house is almost hidden and the vegetation is so thick the homeowner has cut out a 1ft by 2ft space around the front door to get into the property. The garden stands out in an otherwise neat road.
Officers at the council contacted the middle-aged homeowner twice in a bid to get him to tidy up the front garden and have received no reply.
The vegetation is growing over the public footpath.
Neighbour Carol Shepard is one of several residents who reported it to the council.
The 67-year-old has been involved in a long-running dispute with her neighbour over problems with his overgrown back garden and the pair have been to court about it damaging her property.
Mrs Shepard said: ‘I’m disabled and yet I still manage to keep my garden tidy and looking nice so why can’t he?
‘I keep having to chop it down when it comes over my side and I don’t think I should have to.
‘It’s right over the path he shares with his neighbour the other side who is very elderly. It looks awful.’
But another neighbour, Denise Forshaw, 48, said she had not noticed it was overgrown. She said she was surprised the council was taking action.
Councillors on the development management committee will vote tomorrow night on whether to take action against the owner of the property – who could not be contacted by The News.
If they agree, the owner will be ordered to trim the bush to at least 6.5ft and ensure it is cut to within the property boundaries.
He has two months or will face court action. The meeting is at the Public Service Plaza at 5pm.
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Comments
There are 15 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
snapdog
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 01:39 PMAre you saying that public money should be used to take this person to court? At the end of the day it seems that only one person has a problem with this hedge, and Casualonlooker has a bee in her bonnet because she had the same problem with hisher neighbour.... Our hedgerow birds and insects are dissapearing because we are constantly choping,everything down, where are the birds supposed to nest... it's not hurting anyone, if it was rubbish attracting vermin then i could see the problem but i don't!
Yocal
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 12:18 PMcasualonlooker -- The issue is about what is logical and practical in the UK. Far to many people are wrapped up in modern technology and culture that 'naturally' they get alarmed by a little vegetation that today's society isolates them from. Wild flowers and meadows in the UK are not alien worlds that hide killer plants and animals. There is far to much control freakery in the UK. Until recently, in Leigh Park one of the roundabouts had wild flowers and long grass deliberately grown to encourage insects. I don't know if that project is still live. If not it should be restored.
casualonlooker
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 01:43 AMNo not this one but the whole story is horribly familiar... Its got nothing to do with privacy or the right to do what you want in your own home. Its about taking care of where you live... All tenancy agreements have clauses in them about taking reasonable care of out buildings and gardens. off course if its not your property why should you care what state its in... like I said chronic Cant get of my fat backsideitis.. Yocal you live next to the serengety and see how you like it. Meadow, wilderness more like..
snapdog
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 06:52 PMSo Casualonlooker are you the neighbour?
Yocal
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 05:16 PMI wish people that are making a big fuss about this green growth would also make a big fuss about people that concrete over their front gardens to fit a car (or extra car) on it. The real criminals are those that don't have any plants (or very few), grass or trees in their gardens. To my mind, this garden compensates for all the paved and concrete pads.
Yocal
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 05:10 PMCasuallooker@6. Isn't overgrown grass and bushes natural?? Would you be offended by a meadow of wild flowers?? You do realise that without such plants, the only food you would get at a supermarket is bread (or other products made from wind pollinated plants). We need more gardens to be 'wild'. Admittedly with some thought put into them though.
casualonlooker
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 04:23 PMCRITICAL ILLNESS MY A SE A chronic case of I can get of my fat backside to do anything constructive. my rent is paid for my bill are paid for why should I do anything constructive.. even if it is sorting my garden out..... Im of to work no to pay for my lawmower.....
casualonlooker
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 04:20 PMsnap dog no she doesnt pay for a gardener we do ie we work we pay council tax while she sits a home all day watching her garden grow and the guy that comes to sort it annually is paid by the council... get it ... so she can do what she likes then so can I
snapdog
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 12:43 PM@casualonlooker it's the neighbours property they can do what they like, at the end of the day it is still a complete waste of tax payers money (of which I am one) to take people to court... funny that the neighbour the other side has not even noticed it is overgrown! Your neighbour is lucky to be able to afford a gardener, perhaps this person can't since the news were unable to speak to the person who owns the house, how do we know why he does not tidy his garden! he could have a terminal illness... we have heard one side of this story, as usual with the news!
casualonlooker
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 11:48 AMSnap dog you want to try living next door to some one who neglects their gardens Every time you look out of your window you see a mess of overgrown bushes and grass, Every time some one visits you they see an enkempt mess, Well if theyaint paying to live there why should they care, get it cut and stop being lazy..Oh just do what my neighbour does get some one else to pay to get it cut
Yocal
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 11:04 PMThere is a tremendous lack of vegetation in Leigh Park. When you travel through the borough, there are plenty of very tall hedges, bushes, shrubs, plenty of trees etc. but when you come to Leigh Park, homes are quite un-green. To be honest I don't see a lot wrong other than the fact that it could be better maintained. However photos can be misleading.
lee1968
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 09:01 PMAnyone who lived in Leigh Park when it was first built will remember that the council put privett hedges in the garden next to the fence... as a youngster, we had a house near ours where it was over 8ft tall... nobody moaned.. nobody cared.... take a walk along Swanmore Road on Middle Park Way end... there are a few still in place, growing over the path....who cares.....
HarryHoudini
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 07:05 PMFella proberly likes his privacy .
BrigitteB
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 05:07 PMTime for an annonymous gallon of weed killer to go over the fence!
snapdog
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 01:10 PMWhat a waste of public money taking this person to court, if something overhangs your garden you cut it off... he is the only one who has to look at his back garden... what has that to do with his neighbour! I take it this is council owned, perhaps someone could say whether there is a height restriction on hedges?
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