Back garden privacy

GDB2222

Assuming the fence posts are strong enough, some trellis on top of the fence might work. Strictly, it forms part of the fence structure, but in practice you might well get away with it. Very unlikely to get complaints from the car park owner, but you ought to speak with the other neighbours before putting up trellis that effects them. 

Once the trellis is up, you can grow a climber like honeysuckle that could look very attractive and won’t be a nightmare to maintain like some cypresses.

twopenny

Possibily a narrow trellis on top.

I have a 7ft fence.

I planted a climbing rose which grew tall enough in a year for me to train along wire between the posts.I attached some lightweight willow trellis to the fence so that I could tie it in

It then had a small amount of growth or you can prune it, at the top giving me privacy by a 3rd storey window higher up the hill.

I used Jasmine on another panel with the same effect. Trim when it overshoots the top and it thickens out at your desired height.

Both are quick to grow, have only small impact on the garden beneath and allow light and breeze to blow through. They also cover the eternal fence panels with something more interesting than preservative - and you have flowers for the house and scent in the garden.

Cost £30.

Laz123

We planted leylandii to hide our nasty neighbour. It grows about 3 feet every year. It's also good for cutting out noise.

Bendy_House

The trellis idea is a good one if you reckon it'll do the job - be high enough.

Quick, cheap, effective, attractive, easy to control. And I doubt the carpark will complain about an extra couple of feet.

Section62

Bendy_House said:

The trellis idea is a good one if you reckon it'll do the job - be high enough.

Quick, cheap, effective, attractive, easy to control. And I doubt the carpark will complain about an extra couple of feet.

Depending on how new the new-build is, there could be the developer and planners around to complain on the car park's behalf.

Adding 600mm to a 1.8m fence will take it 400mm over the 2m limit requiring planning consent - which is a big margin, and might do nothing whatsoever to give the OP the privacy they are looking for.

GDB2222

Section62 said:

Bendy_House said:

The trellis idea is a good one if you reckon it'll do the job - be high enough.

Quick, cheap, effective, attractive, easy to control. And I doubt the carpark will complain about an extra couple of feet.

Depending on how new the new-build is, there could be the developer and planners around to complain on the car park's behalf.

Adding 600mm to a 1.8m fence will take it 400mm over the 2m limit requiring planning consent - which is a big margin, and might do nothing whatsoever to give the OP the privacy they are looking for.

In practice, if nobody complains, the council won’t care. 

It’s almost impossible to have real privacy in a suburban garden, anyway. I just restrict myself to activities that I don’t mind the neighbours seeing.

Ectophile

Laz123 said:

We planted leylandii to hide our nasty neighbour. It grows about 3 feet every year. It's also good for cutting out noise.

I once visited an arboretum where they had a Leyland cypress that had been allowed to grow. Really elegant tree, and it had kept its distinctive candle flame shape.

But it was absolutely massive. Far too big for the average garden.  The only way you can keep them under control is to keep hacking them back. And eventually they look a mess.

Bendy_House

Section62 said:

Bendy_House said:

The trellis idea is a good one if you reckon it'll do the job - be high enough.

Quick, cheap, effective, attractive, easy to control. And I doubt the carpark will complain about an extra couple of feet.

Depending on how new the new-build is, there could be the developer and planners around to complain on the car park's behalf.

Adding 600mm to a 1.8m fence will take it 400mm over the 2m limit requiring planning consent - which is a big margin, and might do nothing whatsoever to give the OP the privacy they are looking for.

Yes indeed. Which is why I said "I doubt the carpark will complain...", and in the unlikely event 'it' did, it would be easy to remove.

It's one of these issues where you need to make a judgement - 'do I ask first?'. If you do, then chances are you will be simply cited the regs, so most likely a 'No'. Whereas, with only a carpark on the other side, it's very unlikely anyone would complain about a fait accompli.

And of course a length of trellis 'might do nothing whatsoever to give the OP the privacy they are looking for', and that is why I also said "...if you reckon it'll do the job - be high enough".

Section62

Bendy_House said:

Section62 said:

Bendy_House said:

The trellis idea is a good one if you reckon it'll do the job - be high enough.

Quick, cheap, effective, attractive, easy to control. And I doubt the carpark will complain about an extra couple of feet.

Depending on how new the new-build is, there could be the developer and planners around to complain on the car park's behalf.

Adding 600mm to a 1.8m fence will take it 400mm over the 2m limit requiring planning consent - which is a big margin, and might do nothing whatsoever to give the OP the privacy they are looking for.

Yes indeed. Which is why I said "I doubt the carpark will complain...", and in the unlikely event 'it' did, it would be easy to remove.

It's one of these issues where you need to make a judgement - 'do I ask first?'. If you do, then chances are you will be simply cited the regs, so most likely a 'No'. Whereas, with only a carpark on the other side, it's very unlikely anyone would complain about a fait accompli.

And of course a length of trellis 'might do nothing whatsoever to give the OP the privacy they are looking for', and that is why I also said "...if you reckon it'll do the job - be high enough".

The point is, why do something unlawful, and spend money on something you might have to remove, when the only realistic way of providing a decent level of privacy in a garden is to erect some form of screening directly adjacent to the area you want to be more private - as Doozergirl pointed out within the first few posts in the thread.

And if you want a garden which is wholly private then buying a new(ish) build is not the best option.

Adding a small amount on top of a 1.8m boundary fence rarely makes much difference to the majority of the garden if the problem is being 'overlooked'.

Bendy_House

Section62 said:

The point is, why do something unlawful, and spend money on something you might have to remove, when the only realistic way of providing a decent level of privacy in a garden is to erect some form of screening directly adjacent to the area you want to be more private...

Why? Because, IF the addition of trellis was enough to do the job, AND if it was very unlikely that anyone would be inconvenienced or wish to complain, then it's a simple, fast, cheap, effective and attractive option.

A 'no-one will mind' and 'low-risk' option.

If, instead, you didn't 'break the law' (eyeballs rolling...) by first asking the carpark owners about heightening the fence, there is a very good chance they wouldn't actually mind, but would quote 'No' because it's the regs.

That's reality. Because they cannot be seen to be adding grey areas. It's rools, innit.

Anyway, we're keeping the OP from their task - they have 5 seating areas, so a lot of directly adjacent screening to do.

If San Jose reckons this wouldn't be tall enough, then it's a non-starter. If SJ reckons they don't want to take the risk, then it's a non-starter.