{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/high-hedges-act-northern-ireland-2011/section-2",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/high-hedges-act-northern-ireland-2011/section-2.json",
  "legislation": "nia/2011/21",
  "legislation_title": "High Hedges Act (Northern Ireland) 2011",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/high-hedges-act-northern-ireland-2011",
  "path": "section/2",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "2",
  "heading": "High hedge",
  "text": "(1) In this Act “high hedge” means so much of a barrier to light as—\n(a) is formed wholly or predominantly by a line of two or more evergreens; and\n(b) rises to a height of more than two metres above ground level.\n(2) For the purposes of subsection (1) a line of evergreens is not to be regarded as forming a barrier to light if the existence of gaps significantly affects its overall effect as such a barrier at heights of more than two metres above ground level.\n(3) In this section “evergreen” means an evergreen tree or shrub or a semi-evergreen tree or shrub.\n(4) But nothing in this Act applies to trees which are growing on land of 0.2 hectares or more in area which is forest or woodland.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I1",
      "text": "S. 2 in operation at 31.3.2012 by S.R. 2012/20, art. 2"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nia/2011/21/section/2",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T20:20:45.115959+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}