Neighbour moving a fence !! Advice Please

tattooedhoney

I hope someone will be able to assist with some advice.
A friend no really a friend honest has been having a minor dispute with his neighbour. He lives in a house which shares a driveway with another house ( who is he is still happy with) The road/ driveway is the only way in and out of the estate by car.
the houses were built a good few years ago and boundary fences were erected. The fence that is in question is currently in the same place as the developers placed it , at an angle to allow my friend to see oncoming traffic ( children on bikes and cars) as he drives from his driveway out of the estate.
There is also a small strip of land in front of the fence which is owned by the neighbour , this is just grass but allows my firend to see into the road/ oncoming traffic. The neighbour wants to move his fence to include the extra land but it will mean that there is no angle on the fence and will block the view of the road completely.
My friend has tried to show the neighbour the problem, demonstrated but all to no avail.
Is there anything my friend can do to prevent this move , or get it taken down if he puts it up over the easter weekend?

Sorry if this is in the wrong section but figured anything else would be the best bet !

conradmum

There are often restrictions on the building of fences, esp. at the front of houses on estates. For example, at the front of our house we can't build a wall or fence above 3 feet tall (I think) but there must be something reasonably sturdy there. It's possible your friend's neighbour is contravening the regulations if he's extending his fence beyond where the developers put it. It's worth him checking his own house deeds as there may be something similar on there.
I can't really understand how it would block his view of the road, though - isn't there a pavement at the end of the grass strip before you get to the road?

floyd

Any chance of a picture so we can get an idea of logistics?

virgin_moneysaver

anything erected that butts to a pavement etc must go thru planning at council to see if planning app required - they will come & inspect for a small fee - this maybe a way for you to put your case forward - good luck

tyllwyd

I'd get in touch with the highways office - the junction probably had a visibility splay required when planning permission was granted, so they might be able to tell your friend/his neighbour whether it is OK to move the fence or not.

nadnad

yeah contact your loval planners or council I'm not sure who it would be in your area, but all property should have a visibility splay, and there are strict guidleines on fence building at the edge of property especially in towns.

dunstonh

virgin_moneysaver wrote: »

anything erected that butts to a pavement etc must go thru planning at council to see if planning app required - they will come & inspect for a small fee - this maybe a way for you to put your case forward - good luck

Arent they allowed up to 4 ft without planning permission (or some similar height to that)?

nadnad

no sometimes at the front of a property its only 3ft - to avoid being obstructive.

scheming_gypsy

you mentioned that the developers placed the fence there but then said your neighbour wants to 'move his fence'. Is this his fence or a shared fence for the 2 properties?

if it isn't his fence i can't see how he can move it without your friends permission too.

computerwoman

all fence's at the front/side/back of any house needs planning permission, I would suggest your friend ask's his neigbour if he has this,
rules are 3'3" at the front 6'6" at the back,
if it's open planned then he will need planning permission, if he goes ahead with it anyway, then a quick phone call to the planning department at your local council, will sort this out, as they will come round and tell him to remove it if he did not have planning permission and if it is in violation of any other rules and regulations,
also they could say that he just needs to fill in all the forms with photo and send it in then they might just pass it anyway,
swings and roundabouts my friend
cw

full-time-mum

Could you check on your friend's deeds - obviously it won't tell you the conditions on the neighbours deeds but it might give you an idea as to what the situation is regarding fences on your development/estate/street.

You never know, your friend might find that it does mention the view from his driveway.

We have a shared drive and our deeds state that the shared area must not be used for parking by either parties or our access be obstructed. In practise, our neighbours do use it sometimes and we reluctantly accept it for the sake of good relations. (we have been known to go out deliberately, though, so as to inconvinience them, just to make a point )