When it comes to garden fences, you might well think that it’s as simple a matter as choosing your preferred style and sticking some posts in the ground… but, as with anything, it’s actually a little more complicated than that and there are certain rules and regulations you’ll need to adhere to if you don’t want to fall foul of the authorities.
If your fence serves as a boundary between you and your neighbours, you’ll need to know who’s responsible for the work on each side of the fence, whether that’s painting it or carrying out repair work on broken panels and posts.
Chatting to your neighbour is perhaps the easiest way to come to a resolution, but you might also want to check the title deeds so you know what you’re legally responsible for, just in case.
The deeds include a scale plan of the property and those nearby, with the boundary lines highlighted by a T. The tip of the T shape points to the property responsible for each particular boundary.
But it’s not just boundaries you need to be mindful of. You also need to consider the height of your fence, as you may need to have planning permission in place if you want it to be taller than two metres.
Note, however, that this two-metre limit only applies to those parts of the house that don’t open up onto a road. If you want to fence off your front garden and there’s a road opposite, you’ll only be permitted to erect fencing up to one metre in height without having planning permission in place.
And then, of course, if you’ve got a listed building, it gets even trickier and you may find you need to have planning permission in place for any height of fence – so always check this out before starting any work.
It can be a bit of a minefield but the LW Landscapes team is here to help… so get in touch with us today if you need any guidance or advice.