A Melbourne couple is facing a bill for around $50,000 after being forced to cut down a hedge that is more than a century old.
Guranathan Ganeson and his wife were told their four-metre hedge was obstructing the footpath in front of their property at Mont Albert, 19km east of Melbourne’s CBD.
The Ganesons finally gave up after a three-year battle with Whitehorse City Council, which said it had received several complaints about the hedge – which was first planted in 1908.
They could have kept the hedge if they chose to pay $6,500 to extend the footpath, but the Ganesons didn’t trust the council not to keep coming back with more demands.
‘The hurdles set by council were getting (more) difficult and difficult,’ Mr Ganeson told 9News.
‘There was no guarantee that the council wouldn’t come back if the hedge started growing and giving us more work to do.’
The magnificent hedge took 116 years to grow, but just four hours to be cut back to little more than sticks by professional gardeners – leaving the home in full view to passersby for the first time.
‘It feels empty. It feels that something that belongs there is not there anymore,’ Mr Ganeson said.
Along with the emotional cost, there has also been a heavy financial penalty for the couple.
The hedge removal cost them $3,500, there was a $2,500 fee for the current fence removal, $500 fence planning permit, $27,000 for a new fence and other costs.
‘By (the) time this joke is finished it’s costing us $50,000,’ he said.
A frustrated Mr Ganeson has urged the council to be a bit more lenient in its dealings with residents in future.
‘Look at the situation and just try to work it out like normal human beings,’ he said.
In a statement, Whitehorse City Council told Channel 9 the hedge ‘breached local law’ and did not ‘comply with the Disability Discrimination Act’.
‘Council’s authorised officers made several attempts to work with the property owner to resolve the issue, holding several on-site meetings and arranging quotes from various contractors to undertake any work.
‘The property owner refused all proposed solutions,’ the council said.
Daily Mail has contacted Whitehorse City Council for further comment.