That this House welcomes the publication of the consultation paper on high hedges, which at last holds out some hope of action to protect those whose lives have been blighted by overgrown trees and hedges; believes that measures to promote mediation and provide better information on planting and growing of leylandii, and similar fast-growing trees, have a part to play in preventing and defusing conflicts between neighbours but will be of little assistance to those already adversely affected by a high hedge; recognises the efforts already made by local authorities and the police to find solutions to these disputes, but is concerned that valuable time and resources have been unnecessarily expended tackling a problem which, ultimately, they have no power to resolve; and, therefore, supports Option 4 in the consultation paper, which proposes to set up a new system of statutory powers to deal with complaints about problem hedges.

That this House welcomes the publication of the consultation paper on high hedges, which at last holds out some hope of action to protect those whose lives have been blighted by overgrown trees and hedges; believes that measures to promote mediation and provide better information on planting and growing of...

That this House welcomes the Government's decision to set up a working group to draw up a voluntary code of practice on providing better information on planting and growing leylandii and similarly fast-growing trees; believes however that some form of statutory protection is required for those whose lives have been blighted by overgrown trees and hedges; suggests that one option might be an amendment to the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to allow environmental health officers to judge whether an excessively high hedge constitutes a nuisance; would welcome the flexibility and discretion that such a solution would offer, as well as the subsequent legal action that could be taken to protect victims of giant hedges; and calls on the Government to bolster the objectives of the Working Group to allow consideration of whether such legislative proposals are desirable.

That this House welcomes the Government's decision to set up a working group to draw up a voluntary code of practice on providing better information on planting and growing leylandii and similarly fast-growing trees; believes however that some form of statutory protection is required for those whose lives have been...

That this House welcomes the Answer given by the Minister of State for the Regions, Regeneration and Planning to a Parliamentary Question in which he stated that he would consider 'whether some form of government intervention in relation to Leylandii trees and other high boundary hedges is necessary'; recognises that a key element in many of the most distressing disputes over high hedges is unsociable behaviour and harassment; therefore, believes that the Crime and Disorder Bill also represents an excellent opportunity to introduce effective measures to tackle the vindictive impulses of those who insist on allowing their hedges to reach monstrous heights, with the main purpose of inflicting misery on their neighbours; and urges the Government to take steps, either through improved planning regulations or crime legislation, to tackle this increasing menace.

That this House welcomes the Answer given by the Minister of State for the Regions, Regeneration and Planning to a Parliamentary Question in which he stated that he would consider 'whether some form of government intervention in relation to Leylandii trees and other high boundary hedges is necessary'; recognises that...