Fencing for a back garden of a corner plot

john12111

Hello

I need some help on deciding whether or not fencing will require a planning permission. I have attached picture of the map and blue line is where the fencing is planned to go.

The road parallel to fences would be a 'T junction'. I am planning to erect 2m fence. This will be to ensure my back garden is not easily visible to the people walking past.

The council is a Coventry city council. I called them to get some help but they simply asked me to take a look at the website. Most if not all council sites states following.

• 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); or
  

Easier option is to simply put hedges along the line but I though fences will be neater and look better.


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welly_59

Where it is red lines, is that a path or a road for vehicles?

john12111

welly_59 said:

Where it is red lines, is that a path or a road for vehicles?

I have just tried to hide road/street names with red marker 

welly_59

Ok so if it is a road then you can't go higher than 1mtr without planning

MikeJXE

Check out with the council If you can erect a 2m fence a certain distance from the path edging  into your property leaving a verge between path and your garden. That might work 

Section62

john12111 said:

Easier option is to simply put hedges along the line but I though fences will be neater and look better.

How old is the property?

The starting point is to find out whether you have any planning conditions or restrictions on permitted development.

The text you quoted is a rough generalisation of the permitted development rules, but is not applicable where permitted development rights have been removed, or a planning condition is in place.

Bear in mind there could also be planning restrictions on growing a hedge along the boundary.

From the council's perspective, they will want to ensure anything you do doesn't impact on sightlines for road users at the junction.  Depending on what the open space on the opposite side of "*** Walk" is, they may also be concerned about the impact on the openness of the area.  If the property was built as part of an 'open plan' development it is more likely there will be additional restrictions on boundary features.

ProDave

In days gone by it would have needed planning permission if it was between the building line and the road.

But a while back it changed to if "adjacent to the highway" it can only be 1M high.  "Adjacent" is a very subject term and open to interpretation and misinterpretation.

But I have heard of several real cases where setting the fence 1 metre back from the highway, and the planning officer stands on the footpath and cannot touch the 2M high fence so determines it is not adjacent to the highway and so 2M fence is okay.

There is also the matter of blocking visibility for road users which might be an issue if you took your fence all the way round the corner at the front, but if it only goes as far as your blue line then turns 90 degrees to go across to the side wall of the house I cannot see it as an issue.

So I would personally set the fence 1M back from the footpath, and plant shrubs or a hedge in that 1M gap.

I assume the light grey strip behind the house is driveway access?  If so that is another good reason to keep the fence at least 1M back.  You don't want the users of that complaining to the council that they cannot see to exit onto the road safely.

john12111

ProDave said:

In days gone by it would have needed planning permission if it was between the building line and the road.

But a while back it changed to if "adjacent to the highway" it can only be 1M high.  "Adjacent" is a very subject term and open to interpretation and misinterpretation.

But I have heard of several real cases where setting the fence 1 metre back from the highway, and the planning officer stands on the footpath and cannot touch the 2M high fence so determines it is not adjacent to the highway and so 2M fence is okay.

I want to go with either fencing or hedges as I am limited on the budget too. So to avoid issues, setting the fence back by a meter from the boundary is a safer option but then it will waste quite bit of garden space 

john12111

Section62 said:

john12111 said:

Easier option is to simply put hedges along the line but I though fences will be neater and look better.

How old is the property?

The starting point is to find out whether you have any planning conditions or restrictions on permitted development.

The text you quoted is a rough generalisation of the permitted development rules, but is not applicable where permitted development rights have been removed, or a planning condition is in place.

Bear in mind there could also be planning restrictions on growing a hedge along the boundary.

From the council's perspective, they will want to ensure anything you do doesn't impact on sightlines for road users at the junction.  Depending on what the open space on the opposite side of "*** Walk" is, they may also be concerned about the impact on the openness of the area.  If the property was built as part of an 'open plan' development it is more likely there will be additional restrictions on boundary features.

The property is around 70 years old. I don't think there are any restrictions for the hedges.

There are hedges already in the front of the house until where the blue line starts (including the corner), so if I plant the same hedges then (in next few years) it would just look as if they were always there.

thegreenone

We live on a corner plot and wanted to exchange the very overgrown 1 metre rear fence with a 2 metre.  Only three panels (of 14) abutted the road behind with the remainder backing the garden of the house behind.  A large privet bush covers the first panel on the other side.

We needed planning permission and the Officer came out twice.  Once when we had exposed the old fence and back again to see the new fence.  There was one objection from a household in the road behind who "didn't want the privet taken out as she liked to sit and watch the birds".  We had no intentions of touching the privet as it wasn't ours to do so.

Where the blue line ends, is that where your front garden starts?  If so, I'm guessing your intention is for privacy in the back but then perhaps step the fence down to one metre in the front for sight lines on the junction?

Edited:  the road behind is private.

john12111

thegreenone said:

We live on a corner plot and wanted to exchange the very overgrown 1 metre rear fence with a 2 metre.  Only three panels (of 14) abutted the road behind with the remainder backing the garden of the house behind.  A large privet bush covers the first panel on the other side.

Edited:  the road behind is private.

Yes, you are right, it is for privacy in the back garden only.

The front garden where the blue line ends already has the hedges so no need for fencing there.