Picket Fence proposed at new estate that has an open plan design (no garden walls).

Hi All.

I have recently purchased a house in a new estate that has an open plan design (no garden walls).

I do have a front garden grassed area and the cars are parked to the side of the house.

My problem is that I do not have any privacy as people can pass my front sitting room and look in using my footpath as a form of access to the other houses along side mine(semi-d).

Can I fit a picket fence to stop this practice as I already have installed a paved brick footpath up through the front garden to the front door? This picket fence will be installed in my garden that borders the public footpath next to the road.

People cross the garden and local dogs have a habit of leaving nasty messages there as well!!

The picket fence will be tastefully erected and maintained.

I know a girl whos house is semidetached and there is a long line of house down the drive, all open plan, with pavers, bit of grass, pavers and so on, her problem was all the children in the estate drove their bikes speeding up and down the pavers and grass (never using the footpath) until one evning a bike hit her car badly scratching it.

She had no permission she found out to erect any kind of fence but was told she could put out a line of containers with plants in them and build/grow a hedge. This she did and many other neighbours followed.

Personally I think they look daft but once the plants had started to thicken up the improved in look.

Not sure how youd stop the dogs as they werent her problem.

Hi
I know an estate like this. Everyone who moved in planted hedges and shrubs. It looks really well now and gives plenty of privacy.
It's much nicer than concrete walls separating the houses anyway

Sandals said:

She had no permission she found out to erect any kind of fence but was told she could put out a line of containers with plants in them and build/grow a hedge. .

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i thought you could put up a fence so long as it was not over 3 feet high? who told her she had no permission?

Jane Doe said:

i thought you could put up a fence so long as it was not over 3 feet high? who told her she had no permission?

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No that's not normally the case in an open-plan estate. There is usually a planning condition associated with the planning permission, and condition in the sale of each house stating the fencing cannot be changed.

In my case this means I cannot erect any type of fence around my front garden (brick paver borders, grass garden, tarmac drive), or change the side and back garden fencing (cottage hit-and-miss on concrete bases slotted between concrete pillars).

luap_42 said:

No that's not normally the case in an open-plan estate. There is usually a planning condition associated with the planning permission, and condition in the sale of each house stating the fencing cannot be changed.

In my case this means I cannot erect any type of fence around my front garden (brick paver borders, grass garden, tarmac drive), or change the side and back garden fencing (cottage hit-and-miss on concrete bases slotted between concrete pillars).

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oh i didn't know that. you cannot even appeal the planning condition? what is the reasoning behind this requirement

I'm going ahead and errecting a steel railing similar to the railings used on the external road site boundary walls. The council/planners can run and jump. I'm fed up with people walking across my front garden and dog/cats fouling the area as well. This railing will be erected on my property (looked at site plan).
It seems ironic that in my estate a section of it is taken up with affordable/social housing units and it seems that the social units/area are becoming very run down due to lack of maintenance and care by the owners and co. council.
I pay a private company a maintenace fee every year to keep the area of the estate that I live clean and tidy. This railing will enhance the look of my property.