Planning laws regarding fences? - updated, pictures!

Hi, newbie here!
We have lived in our house for just over 2 years now. We started our first spring with ripping down a rotting shed and making an amateurish pond, and in general have not felt too strongly about doing anything about the garden, but this year I want to do it right because the increasingly overgrowing patch it starting to bother me! Also we keep getting unwanted visitors as in children from the area, because our fences are only two rows of wobbly old council-erected 3 foot high jobs, plus one side has a door to the neighbours garden because this is our only access from the road (being mid-terraced and on the back of the garden is an old sort of industrial area...)
Anyway, first we want to replace the fence - and for the sake of privacy we want to make it a 6 foot high closed fence which we then want to screen with climbers and the likes. Now I have read somewhere if you want to replace an existing fence the new one cannot be higher than the replaced one was - is this true? This would be a nightmare because the kids jump over 3 feet high fences - we have already lost a couple of goldfish and several solar lights!

We have quite a large narrow plot which is facing west, the northern side of it screened off by a row of really high conifers. The garden is about 7 metres wide, the side fences have 15 (6feet) panels each (we counted the other day to work out how many new fence panels we need), so that's what... 30 metres?, and slightly sloping. So there's quite a few possibilities, and we want to use some decking as seating area, raised beds, a large sweeping border, the bottom bit more or less wild growing garden, gravel, some paving and just a tiny patch of lawn because we are not too keen on the high maintenance of lawns and just want a tiny "drying green" to soften the area between the border and the paved area. We also want to build a larger, raised, more formal pond.

So you see, the plans are there, and we are willing to let us cost a fair piece of money, and we will have plenty of questions along the way - the most pressing of which is the starting issue of the fences - because it would all be for nothing if we could not secure the lot!

[ 04. March 2006, 06:19 PM: Message edited by: wishaw ]

 

I am presuming you are talking about the back garden? Check your deeds which may have certain covenants on them. failing that a telephone call to your local planning authority should get the right info .I used to work for the local authority with a planning section and they are only too willing to help.Its probably best to get it right rather than go to the expense of having to take it down after!

 

Yes, back garden. Front garden does not need any work at present - one side of the path has a massive pampas grass bush on it I would not dare to touch, I love it, and the other side has a cherry tree which unfortunately it past its best and will have to be taken out in a few years... shame that!

But no, right now it is the back garden, and we have already checked the deeds to no avail. I sent an email to the local authority (also because by positioning of the fence posts the fence that needs replacing is owned by the neighbbouring property which is still council owned!) but they did not reply so far. I am willing to replace at my own cost but the least is to get them to agree to it I suppose.
Well, I am off work tomorrow so I am probably going to go to the council offices and see if someone there is willing to speak to me...

 

If you've got pics to show the area, that would really help give an idea of the place - if you don't have a suitable camera, as it happens, I'm going over to Hamilton tomorrow for a couple of days re selling my Aunt's house, so if you want me to pop in and look at it with you, I'll tell you what I think, and let you take pics with my camera! Drop me an e-mail if you like.

 

What a charitable lot we have on this board! Who needs Watchdog!?

 

nixonf23, that's a really nice offer, but really you don't have to do that. We are not really near Hamilton and the place is not easy to find, let alone I have some more things lined up apart from the council offices (really "useless" work times normally that don't allow me to visit a number of offices and banks so they all get crammed in whenever I get a chance), so I could not say when I would be home in the first place! (Besides the place is a shambles right now and I would hate to show it to anyone who is into gardenning! *wink*)

My husband has a good digital camera and we were planning to take pictures anyway before starting to do ANYTHING, and I will post these for a general opinion on what could be done. But thank you for the kind offer!

 

Great! I've not quite managed to get the hang of putting photos on yet - I've gpasted a link to photobucket, but that's all so far - maybe I should read the tutorials! Good luck!

 

I think that generally (around here) fences can be 2m high without planning but only 1m if fronting a highway (including footpath). Might be different up your way though.

 

Nixon - to copy a photo from Photobucket all you need to do is copy (left click then ctrl C) the link in the lower of the three windows and then just paste (ctrl V) the link in your post.

 

As Lazy-Gardiner says I am sure it is best to ask at the local Planning Office, if you can. Where I live 6 foot by 6 foot panel fences are everywhere in backgardens and I cannot think that there would be any trouble. Front gardens are different as they are in public view.

The Planning Office might not be so keen for you to replace their own fence, especially if they think that yours might be less durable. But there is nothing to stop you putting up your own fence parallel to theirs but on your own property.

 

Ta, Dave W - I knew it must be obvious when you know how!

 

Nice Van Dave :D

Hi Wishaw - as its not your fence, I hope the council gives the go ahead if indeed it is their fence, in addition to knowing the local regs in respect of fences if any.

Have you checked the deeds - they usually have a map which shows whose, which fence is. Sometimes they can be inaccurate - but they are what is relied on - rather than which way the fence posts are.

 

you should be aware that a solid 6 foot fence is going to take a lot of windage, best to select one which will filter the wind also make sure posts are deep, 1/3 of height is not excessive and i would use tanalised posts, as pressure treated wont last so long ...... an expensive project to keep out local kids, and rem you will be creating a shaded area down one half of garden, imo this fence would dominate the garden rather than acting as a background, for my self id go with a 4 1/2 foot fence and spend a bit more on buying a few specimin trees to break up the area, while climbers may seem a good idea, they are mostly deciduous and anyway in winter i like to see the outline of a nice bare shrub or small tree against the self colour background of the fence, just my opinion, as always,
There are loads of interesting things to do with a long garden, but eg a straight path down the middle all the way to the end is to be avoided!

[ 03. March 2006, 09:02 AM: Message edited by: Lady Gardener ]

 

I would be inclined to go with a lower fence too. Put the savings into quality materials instead. There's also plenty of 'green razor wire' such as some really viscous berberis or quince etc. that will discourage the little darlings from hopping over and you can let it grow to the height and shape you want.

Also a taller specimin or two really does help to break up a long line and that hard 'prison fence' look. Could maybe try the double, red flowering hawthorn, Crataegus laevigata 'Paul's scarlet'. Slow growing but can get quite tall, ~30ft but most specimens I've seen have been 15-20ft. Nice habit and gives light dappled shade during summer.

 

completely agree with all TLG + Frogesque say - how about pyracantha too? Equally vicious, and lovely berries to attract wildlife