Homeowners locked in 'joke' hedge war with local council

Mont Albert homeowner Guranathan Ganeson made the call to chop down their front yard feature to sticks this week after being ordered by the local council to trim it or pay to extend the footpath.

“It feels empty. It feels that something that belongs there is not there anymore,” Ganeson told 9News.

Ganeson and his wife were paying for professional maintenance three times a year, costing them hundreds of dollars.

They spent three years battling over the hedge with Whitehorse City Council, which said the plant was breaching local law by obstructing the footpath.

The hedge was the subject of multiple complaints over the past 12 months.

Ganeson and his wife were given an ultimatum to pay about $6500 to extend the footpath or cut the hedge back to bare sticks, and after years of back and forth they reluctantly chose the latter.

“It was a very small amount … we want it to be accessible for everybody,” he said.

Ganeson claims the total cost of maintaining the hedge under the council’s orders could top $50,000.

“By the time this joke is finished, it’s costing us $50,000,” he said.

“There was no guarantee that the council won’t come back if the hedge started growing, and giving us more work to do.”

Around the corner, fellow homeowner Lynne decided to pay for the path widening.

“We felt that we came out ahead – the hedge is alive and happy,” she told 9News.