Boundary Fencing

[Jonnyp22]

I arrived home yesterday to find the local authority have installed a tacky, nasty wooden fence right outside my front door! This is officially the local authorities land so I guess they are within the rights to install such a thing? This is surely a Health and Safety risk? It could obstruct getting away from the property during a fire or even cause a fire?

Any advice on how to get around this would be greatly appreciated. I was considering just removing the fence or growing a box hedge to hid it, would this be possible?

 

[Jonnyp22]

The land to the left is mine and the right is local authority. The fence has no purpose at all other than simply confirm who owns what land! I honestly wouldn't mind if it was a nice fence or even a low brick wall......

 

[brooky]

Looks ok to me.

 

[New Build Inspector]

The land to the left is mine and the right is local authority. The fence has no purpose at all other than simply confirm who owns what land! I honestly wouldn't mind if it was a nice fence or even a low brick wall......

This type of thing is very common ...and will be part of some designers grand plan ...all approved and so builder will be required to install it to keep street scene as per planning

Give it a few years the wood will rot ....ok ok i jest ...

It looks pretty normal to me

 

[brooky]

Thats right. We are buying a new build off plan. I have utterly scrutinised the council planning documents. Every plant is mapped with species, bin lorry routes, broadband entry points and boxes, boundaries and material.... All the info would have been there. Planning is extremely strict in this country (which is only a good thing).

I don't think you'l get very far unless it is a mistake.

 

[Gtsurveys]

I suspect the reason for the fence is to stop any potential land grab, by clearly defining and maintaining their boundary the council is protecting their assets

 

[indyjukebox]

Sorry, but looks very standard to me. You can plant/place some plants, but they would have to be on your side. You could offer to build them a low wall, but that is not going to be cheap fix and then comes the question of who will maintain it etc.

 

[New Build Inspector]

Most planners will want to retain that ....open ...appearance ...but yes i agree it helps define the space and is a very common sight around the country

Sometimes done in railings as well

 

[Dez]

It will not last long and individual owners doing their own thing will make the whole fence run look misc sub standard cosmetic layout. Not the most effective to retain domestic animals in or from outside. Would have been nice if owners had been shared the visition as part of their purchases however customer service from builders is practically non-existant as they do not want to pamper to individual requests as not economic for them. Would not be persuaded by your HSE or Fire position it is what it is a cheap boundary fence

 

[tiffanywelch]

It will not last long and individual owners doing their own thing will make the whole fence run look misc sub standard cosmetic layout. Not the most effective to retain domestic animals in or from outside house fencing. Would have been nice if owners had been shared the visition as part of their purchases however customer service from builders is practically non-existant as they do not want to pamper to individual requests as not economic for them. Would not be persuaded by your HSE or Fire position it is what it is a cheap boundary fence

You’re right to be frustrated. Since the land belongs to the local authority, they likely have the right to install the fence, but if it poses a health and safety risk—such as blocking an escape route—you should formally raise the issue with them. You could also check if they followed the correct procedures before installing it.

Removing it yourself could cause legal trouble, but growing a hedge or using climbing plants to hide it may be an option. You might also consider discussing alternatives with the authorities or gathering support from neighbors to file a collective complaint.