Frontside increasing 3 to 6 feet privacy fence? council permission

everfor007

recently bought roadside property in surrey, it has front garden around 15ft length and around 90ft width with picket fence of 3ft installed attached to public footpath and we are facing  privacy issue in the property. From footpath, public can view into our house thorugh widows and oftenly public throwing cigratte buds/waste into our property and big concern to me my small kids getting to afraid to play. 


Can i installed privacy fence of 6ft height by removing 3ft picket fence, does it required the council permission? in  whole lane  all proeprties frontside fence are picket one of 3 feet. if reuqired the council permission, is it easy to get it and how long it'll take approval ? 

Section62

everfor007 said:

recently bought roadside property in surrey, it has front garden around 15ft length and around 90ft width with picket fence of 3ft installed attached to public footpath and we are facing  privacy issue in the property. From footpath, public can view into our house thorugh widows and oftenly public throwing cigratte buds/waste into our property and big concern to me my small kids getting to afraid to play. 


Can i installed privacy fence of 6ft height by removing 3ft picket fence, does it required the council permission? in  whole lane  all proeprties frontside fence are picket one of 3 feet. if reuqired the council permission, is it easy to get it and how long it'll take approval ? 

You'll need to apply for planning consent.  You may want to speak to the council planning department before making an application to get guidance on what might be acceptable to them.

In my experience it is unlikely you'll get consent for a 6' fence for the whole frontage, and if none of the other properties have fences higher than 3' it suggests that 3' is what is considered appropriate in this location.

victor2

everfor007 said:

recently bought roadside property in surrey, it has front garden around 15ft length and around 90ft width with picket fence of 3ft installed attached to public footpath and we are facing  privacy issue in the property. From footpath, public can view into our house thorugh widows and oftenly public throwing cigratte buds/waste into our property and big concern to me my small kids getting to afraid to play. 


Can i installed privacy fence of 6ft height by removing 3ft picket fence, does it required the council permission? in  whole lane  all proeprties frontside fence are picket one of 3 feet. if reuqired the council permission, is it easy to get it and how long it'll take approval ? 

According to planningportal.co.uk you do not need planning permission if:

it is next to a highway used by vehicles (or the footpath of such a highway) and it would not exceed one metre in height (from ground level)

So you almost certainly would need planning permission. If no neighbours have such a high fence facing the road that could well be refused.

Woolsery

Yes, you would need planning permission because a high fence would change the street scene considerably and might also affect drivers' sight lines.

benson1980

Can you not just plant a hedge behind the picket fence?

Section62

benson1980 said:

Can you not just plant a hedge behind the picket fence?

That would depend on planning conditions and covenants.

And the options for hedges which will reach 6' high quickly are generally expensive or ugly.  By the time the hedge has become effective the OP will probably have got used to the idea that people walking past might glance in the direction of their house. Otherwise, net curtains do a good job, are cheaper, and cause fewer problems.

Ant555

benson1980 said:

Can you not just plant a hedge behind the picket fence?

Although not in your specific area, someone close to me erected a 6 foot fence next to the pavement/road and was made to take it down.  They removed the panels and cut down the concrete posts to the level of the gravel board.
They planted some kind of a hedge just behind the 'new' fence (Think it was a laurel hedge) and its now almost as tall as the original fence -presumably planting a high hedge is not permitted but planting a hedge that grows is permitted?

Section62

Ant555 said:

They planted some kind of a hedge just behind the 'new' fence (Think it was a laurel hedge) and its now almost as tall as the original fence -presumably planting a high hedge is not permitted but planting a hedge that grows is permitted?

It doesn't matter whether it is planted high or grows high.

What matters is whether there is a planning condition or covenant which applies to hedges (as well as walls fences etc).

For example, a planning condition may state that no hedge, tree or shrub higher than 1m may be grown forward of the elevation of the house nearest the road.  In which case, when any hedge, tree or shrub in the front garden exceeds 1m, the owner would be in breach of the planning condition and could be subject to enforcement action.

Ant555

Section62 said:

Ant555 said:

They planted some kind of a hedge just behind the 'new' fence (Think it was a laurel hedge) and its now almost as tall as the original fence -presumably planting a high hedge is not permitted but planting a hedge that grows is permitted?

It doesn't matter whether it is planted high or grows high.

What matters is whether there is a planning condition or covenant which applies to hedges (as well as walls fences etc).

Interesting, I just assumed that as the hedge was planted a couple of weeks after the fence was removed (rather than just cut the posts down to the approved height), then the hedge was a workaround for them.

Maybe they are just hoping that nobody will take much notice of a hedge that grows to 6ft over a few years rather than a 6ft fence that just appeared one day.

Section62

Ant555 said:

Section62 said:

Ant555 said:

They planted some kind of a hedge just behind the 'new' fence (Think it was a laurel hedge) and its now almost as tall as the original fence -presumably planting a high hedge is not permitted but planting a hedge that grows is permitted?

It doesn't matter whether it is planted high or grows high.

What matters is whether there is a planning condition or covenant which applies to hedges (as well as walls fences etc).

Interesting, I just assumed that as the hedge was planted a couple of weeks after the fence was removed (rather than just cut the posts down to the approved height), then the hedge was a workaround for them.

Maybe they are just hoping that nobody will take much notice of a hedge that grows to 6ft over a few years rather than a 6ft fence that just appeared one day.

It could beaworkaround for them in their situation - if there is no planning condition or covenant relating to hedges, then they can grow a 6'+ hedge... so long as all the normal hedge rules are followed (e.g. that it doesn't grow out across the footway)

You need planning consent for a wall or fence which is taller than 1m and adjacent to a highway, but not for a hedge, unless there is a property-specific planning condition which says otherwise.