New Build and do I need permission to put up a fence?

meggiemoo4

Hi,

Can someone please offer me some advice. I live in a Barratt home and have been told on numerous occassions that if I want to change the garden/house etc that I must seek permission from Barratts to do so.

I live on the front of a development and have a large piece of land to the front of my house that I would like to wooden fence in. I want to fence this area in for health and safety reasons (2 small children) and privacy and have applied to Barratts to do so. They have responded to me and advised that they do not normally give permission as they prefer their developments to look open plan, but they have given permission for me to metal fence in part of the land. This offer is neither use nor onrnament to me as the fence has a restriction of being 900mm tall and it will also not provide the privacy I so desperately seek.

I know I signed a contract with them, but does anyone have any advice on this as I don't want to errect a wooden fence and then find myself having to take this down. Surely this is my land and I can choose what I want to do with this?

Anyone had anything similar?

Hump

Check the covenants in the land registry title - if you can't find the copy provided by your solicitor then the Land Registry should provide you another copy for £4 online

It is quite normal for fairly onerous conditions during the development phase of any housing scheme

G_M

If the property is leasehold, check the leas as well.

Yorkie1

Aside from the covenants, you may well find that any boundary would also need planning permission from the council if it is more than 1m - this is the height for a boundary at the front of a property I believe.

Land_Registry

Hump wrote: »

Check the covenants in the land registry title - if you can't find the copy provided by your solicitor then the Land Registry should provide you another copy for £4 online

It is quite normal for fairly onerous conditions during the development phase of any housing scheme

You can check the land register and title plan online for £4 each. However any documents referred to on the register are not available online.

In most new build situations the Transfer from the developer to the first owner will be registered. A copy can be obtained from the relevant Land Registry office using form OC2 (available online). Simply complete the details regarding the address/title number and document details (all on the register).
A fee of £12 is payable for any or all of the documents (other than leases) referred to in the register.

Please note that Land Registry can only provide information regarding what is registered against the title and cannot supply legal advice as to the impact of any covenants or their enforcement.

Better_Days

OP don't you have a back garden that the children could play safely in and where you can have some privacy? This is the usual arrangement on housing developments.

If you do decide to put a fence up, please don't make it an eyesore for your neighbours who may complain. I live in a cul de sac of 8 properties and one of the householders has put up a 3 foot fence round his front garden contrary to the covenants. It has been painted with that horrible orangey brown wood paint. Everyone else has a mixture of lawns and flower beds so this fence looks really out of place. It has caused some bad feeling and lowered tolerance over a long running parking issue resulting in the police being called a couple of weeks ago to arbitrate.

High fencing at the front of properties does alter the feel of a development and in this case I agree with Barrett's.

geoffky

Your biggest mistake was buy from barretts, I feel sorry for you...