Front Fence

[Hyten]

My Neighbour has put up a 6 foot panel fence in his front garden, it is made up of this bamboo screening material, it is right outside my lounge window, I have asked him to remove it, as it is an eyesore, or reduce it to 3 foot panel, but he refuses, what it the legal height of fences in the front of properties in built up areas?

[bibacux2001]

Hi you almost certainly could check with your local council. I think the general rule is that 2mts (6 ft) is allowed but not if it blocks light out of your window. You have a right to light but not to a view unfortunatley. The best thing is though try and not fall out as when you come to sell your property you have to declare if you have had any disputes with neighbours...

[buildersmate]

The above is correct without your neighbour seeking Planning Permission for the fence. However, depending where you live, there may be another restriction. Most modern estate type developments since the 1960s have had a constraint put the erection of fences at the front in order to maintain the open-plan appearance of the development. This is not a Planning issue - the restriction will be in each and every owners' title deeds and is a legal constraint. Its the same sort of restriction that generally stops each estates having caravans parked, keeping chickens and goats etc. Have a look in your title deeds to see if it exists. If it does, enforcing it is another matter since it is civil matter, not a criminal one.

[Golden Shred]

More to the point, perhaps, look at the Register of the next door property, which can be done by clicking http://www.landregisteronline.gov.uk/ and paying �2. All restrictive covenants will be stated in the Register. It is possible to enforce them but it is a complicated process and you have to understand how it works which not at all straightforward.

[Hyten]

The problem is i am not against the fence only the materials that it is constructed of, it is this banboo stuff, which is going moldy and the wire that it is strung together with is rusty, it is an eyesore right outside my lounge window, I have offered to replace it with the correct fencing, but this has been refused???

[buildersmate]

I'm afraid that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. There won't be anything you can do over his choice of materials.

[thugulike]

Plant an evergreen climber on your side and cover it up.

[handygran]

Are you sure you have a right to light because years ago at our first house we put a 6ft fence up and the neighbour complained and she was told you haven't got a right to light. maybe rules have changed now.

[buildersmate]

You have a right to reasonable light. But that doesn't prevent fences up to 2 metres being put up at the sides and back of a dwelling (and sometimes at the front as well - the purpose of this enquiry).

[alan30]

An opening into a building acquires a right-to-light if it has had uninterrupted enjoyment of a given amount of skylight for a period of at least twenty years. Even then there is no right to maintain that exact same amount of light, but only to retain a reasonable proportion of that light.