A bitter neighbourhood row over the height of a lilly pilly hedge in one of Sydney’s most affluent suburbs has come to an end after the matter was taken to court.
The feud began in 2022 when the hedge at the back of a Mosman property owned by Amanda Unsworth and her husband started to block the city skyline views from the home of their neighbour and artist Lucy Hennessy.
Ms Hennessy and her husband had bought their four-bedroom home in 2009 for $3.3million and had enjoyed views to the west over Mosman, Cremorne, Neutral Bay and the North Sydney skyline.
Their neighbours, the Unsworths, snapped up their five-bedder in the lower north shore for $3.1million in 2004.
All was well until the Unsworths’ lilly pillies grew to a height of 600mm above the fence separating the two houses at the back of their home.
Ms Hennessy took the matter to the Land and Environment Court in April last year, demanding her neighbour prune the hedge so it was the same height as the dividing fence.
Ms Hennessy argued the hedges were ‘severely obstructing’ the views from her home.
Ms Unsworth fought the order and two days before a court hearing was due on the matter, she trimmed the hedge so it was 400mm higher than the fence.
She then admitted to the court she intended to let the hedge grow back to its original height of 600mm above the fence.
In December last year, Ms Unsworth was ordered to prune the hedge twice a year, in April and October, to a height no greater than 150mm above the fence.
The hedge was found to ‘reduce the view from the applicant’s relevant west-facing windows so that only the sky remained visible above the trees’.
But Ms Unsworth wasn’t ready to get out the trimmers just yet and appealed the decision, claiming procedural unfairness.
Chief Justice Brian Preston rejected Ms Unsworth’s appeal, as seen in findings published last week, and ordered she foot the bill of the appeal.
Ms Unsworth’s home is now estimated to be worth $7.6million. The home of Ms Hennessy has an estimated worth of $8.6million.
Both boast two bathrooms, a pool and a garage.
Ms Unsworth and Ms Hennessy were contacted for further comment.