Rich neighbours at war over a hedge after homeowner whinged it obstructed the view from her $8.6million Mosman house
A bitter neighbourhood dispute over the height of a lilly pilly hedge in one of Sydney’s most affluent suburbs has come to an end after the case went to court.
The feud began in 2022 when the hedge behind a plot of land in Mosman owned by Amanda Unsworth and her husband began blocking the view of the city skyline from the home of their neighbour and artist Lucy Hennessy.
Mrs Hennessy and her husband bought their four-bedroom home in 2009 for $3.3 million and enjoyed views west over Mosman, Cremorne, Neutral Bay and the North Sydney skyline.
Their neighbours, the Unsworths, bought their five-bedroom home on the Lower North Shore in 2004 for $3.1 million.
All was well until the Unsworths’ lilly pillies protruded 600mm above the fence separating the two houses at the back of their home.
Mrs Hennessy brought the case before the Land and Environment Court in April last year, demanding that her neighbour trim the hedge so that it would be the same height as the fence between them.
Mrs Hennessy said the hedges ‘seriously obstructed’ the view from her home.
Mrs Unsworth resisted the order and two days before the case was due to be heard she trimmed the hedge so that it was 400mm higher than the fence.
A neighbourhood dispute broke out after a Mosman homeowner allowed her lilly pilly hedge to grow higher than the dividing wall with her neighbour (pictured as a red circle), blocking her view of the city skyline
Lucy Hennessy took the case to the Land and Environment Court, demanding that her neighbour cut back her hedge so she could have a view of the city again.
She subsequently admitted in court that she intended to allow the hedge to grow back to its original height of 600mm above the fence.
In December last year, Mrs Unsworth was instructed to trim the hedge twice a year, in April and October, to a height of no more than 150mm above the fence.
The hedge was found to ‘restrict the view from the applicant’s relevant west-facing windows, leaving only the sky above the trees visible’.
However, Mrs Unsworth had no intention of bringing in the trimmers and appealed the decision, claiming that there had been procedural unfairness.
Amanda Unsworth and her husband bought their five-bedroom home in Mosman in 2004 for $3.1 million
Chief Justice Brian Preston dismissed Ms Unsworth’s appeal, according to findings published last week, and ordered her to pay the appeal bill.
Ms. Unsworth’s home is now valued at $7.6 million. Ms. Hennessy’s home has an estimated value of $8.6 million.
Both have two bathrooms, a swimming pool and a garage.
Mrs. Unsworth is married to lawyer Tim Unsworth, who also owns Unsworth Legal.
Mrs Hennessy, who is known for her work of abstract landscapes, is married to silk artist John Hennessy SC.
Ms Unsworth and Ms Hennessy have been contacted for further comment.