Neighbour dispute or not?

cymrubaby

Hello all,

I live in a council property adapted for the disabled and my house is a semi. My next door neighbours are a bit, let's say, quirky. I haven't had any kind of argument with them but they generally keep themselves to themselves with only the male adult ever acknowledging us while his wife does not.

I don't think the husband even lives there as he only seems to stay weekends and his car is usually parked outside some flats nearby (which is where I assume he actually lives most of the week). The wife is very much a loner and hardly ever ventures out. She's up and about doing DIY well into the small hours and her young children are almost always awake whilst she's doing this and as a result they often miss school or are usually an hour or so late getting to school (which is literally right behind our street, just a 2 minute walk away). That's none of my business I know, but I thought it might paint an accurate picture for you.

My neighbour (the female) has a dog who escaped into our garden a few times because their fence is broken, old and very tatty. I brought the dog back to her each time but received no apology from her. I didn't like to ask her what she intended to do because I really don't want bad blood between us because she's not a bad person. Anyway, a while back she put up a new fence her side and faced the 'bad' side our way but not only that she left up the broken old fence (which I am reliably informed she put up some years ago) and she simply banged her new one in in front of it! Now I am left looking at her old broken fence PLUS the 'ugly' side of her new fence. My husband and I replaced some fencing on the other side of our garden which happens to share a border with our other next door neighbours (whose house is not attached to ours) and we gave them the good side, asked their permission beforehand and consulted them on the style and we even cemented it all in properly - in fact we did a really good job so to have my other neighbours putting their fence up with such blatant disregard really annoys me. I'm the kind of neighbour who tells my neighbours when I'm having a BBQ so that they can take in their washing if they wish, I even make sure my guests don't park outside their (public) spaces.

We recently came back from a week's holiday to find our neighbour is now trying to put a fence ON TOP of her current fence but this time in the front garden. She's built a 6ft wooden gate and has put up a 6ft wooden fence all across the front of her garden (picture her kind of barricading herself in and you're almost there). But now I know she fully intends on putting up further fencing on the border our house shares with hers which means we'll have an ugly 6ft wooden fence (which I just know she has no intention of making look nice) but the fence will be made up of two mismatched panels one on top of the other. It will block off some light but that's irrelevant. I just don't want it to look ugly from my side and I know it will. It would have been nice if she'd informed us of her intentions too because who is to say that I want a stupid 6ft fence there? It's my border too.

I'm not sure whether her house still belongs to the council but mine does. Is there anything I can do? I really don't want to try and talk to her about it because she ignores all callers to her door (including the postman if he has parcels) and her car was even towed by the police last week yet she still wouldn't come out of her house (the car has now been returned). I know that if I try to talk to her it will be pointless because she will either ignore my attempts or will fall out with me.

patman99

Doing DIY until the early hours is anti-social. Contact your local Council and ask to speak to their anti-social behaviour team.

They are usually part of the Environmental Health team. They will advise you what to do.

cymrubaby

It's funny how I should mention the DIY because more work has just commenced on the front fence - complete with drilling, banging and hammering. Oh the joy! Wonder how long it will last? Oh and did I forget to mention that she also leaves a rear light on in her garden when her partner isn't there? It stays on through the night and it lights up the garden like a floodlight and it stays on permanently. Thank heavens for blackout curtains eh!

clutton_2

maybe you have realised that for whatever reason this lady does not want to communicate with anyone... police as well as you... so dont take it personally ...

i believe by law she can put up a 2 meter fence without any planning being needed...

i guess all you can do is really enjoy planning a whole set of new garden plants which will hide the fence and give you much pleasure in the future....

if this lady is as reclusive as she sounds, trying to "force" her by use authorities may only make this much worse.,....

an englishmans home is his castle and all that and we can all do what we want with our homes and gardens provided we are not breaking any laws.. it does not sound like the neighbour is breaking lawas....

OP sounds like a very considerate person.. not everyone is like that.. sadly....

Homersimpson

How about putting up your own fence to hide theirs?

Barneysmom

I think if the boundary fence is on the street it can be no more than 1 metre high.

Running_Horse

I doubt that 1 metre rule, if the rich reclusive households in Sevenoaks are anything to go by.

Makes you wonder what they have to hide.

CLAPTON

just a random quote:

Throughout the UK the usual rule is that you may not -- without planning permission -- put up a fence above 1 metre high inbetween the front of your building and [COLOR=#1183c9 !important][COLOR=#1183c9 !important]pavement[/COLOR][/COLOR] or road. Fences to the side or back of your property are supposed to be below 2 metres (slighty more than 6 foot).

However, not too surprising, there are all sorts of variances. Some local councils may have completely different rules. Moreover, sometimes there are restrictions on the individual property; such as a covenant that stipulates that no boundary fence at all may be erected to the front of the property. Almost every [COLOR=#1183c9 !important][COLOR=#1183c9 !important]house[/COLOR][/COLOR] in the area of Eaton in Norwich is like this. The Eaton [COLOR=#1183c9 !important][COLOR=#1183c9 !important]estate[/COLOR][/COLOR] was intended to have an "American" feeling, with open front lawns.

Suzy_M

The permitted height of a fence (or any structure) without requiring planning permission depends on the distance from the highway -

Less than five metres - maximum height 1 metre

More than five metres - maximum height 2 metres.

Tiddlywinks

What nuisance is your neighbour actually causing now?

Is the dog still getting in even with the new fence. Is the DIY still going on late into the night? Is there other excessive noise?

Her lifestyle is not really your concern unless it has a direct negative impact on you so the extra bits you gave about her kids being late for school etc (that you felt set the scene) are actually really irrelevant. If she doesn't answer the door to visitors then that is her choice - she may be depressed or agoraphobic. If you feel she in doing something illegal (cannabis farm? bright lights, need for privacy) then call the police.

Regarding the fence, just use screening on your side to hide the "ugly" look and report it to the council if it exceeds the maximum allowed height.

tealady

Hi
If the light is causing a problem then contact your Environmental health department as they may be able to do something about this.