Would I need planning permission to raise the height of the garden boundary brick wall?

[T & P]

To cut a long story short, we live on a street whereby the properties’ back gardens are on the other side of a housing estate. Most other properties along the street have the traditional six-foot garden wood fences, but ours came with a brick wall about 1.5m tall, topped by pre-existing shrubbery.

After twenty years of no issues or complaints, Lambeth Council gardening workers servicing the estate at the back of our house decided the shrubbery slightly overhanging from the top of our wall was an unacceptable affront, and cut it down with such gusto the remaining foliage started to fall towards the ground on our side soon after, and now we have a barely 5ft wall any fool could jump over if so inclined. It’s extra infuriating that Lambeth has continuously ignored all requests to trim down the two massive trees on the other side of the wall that are massively overhanging our garden, but that’s a story for the Daily Mail I guess.

Anyways, I have been told by two different people that we might actually need planning permission to raise the height of the brick wall to the six-foot standard garden fence panels that form the boundary barrier of the neighbouring properties. Surely that can’t be so? I would understand it if we decided to build a 3-metre Berlin Wall towering above the surrounding boundary walls, but if it’s the same height…?

 

[Humberto]

I'd definitely check it out before proceeding with any work. Good luck.

 

[Humberto]

Me dad was a builder and wanted to convert his garage into a spare room. You wouldn't think anyone would give a monkey's but the window he wanted was apparently 'too big' and had to change plan. If the council are already involved I'd say give them a ring and take it from there. Shouldn't be too much hassle.

 

[Epona]

I believe there is a height limit on boundary walls?

Yeah here it is:

Planning Permission - Fences, gates and garden walls - Planning Portal

Find out if you need planning permission to erect a new; or alter, maintain, improve or take down an existing fence, wall or gate

www.planningportal.co.uk

 

[Epona]

So you might be OK to raise it to 2m max without planning permission if it's not next to a public highway.
If it is next to a public highway the limit is 1m.
If neighbours have existing higher fencing they are allowed to keep that even if you aren't allowed to raise yours.

Might be worth doing some planting on your side of the wall instead as that doesn't require permission, go for something tall that doesn't overhang so it can't legally be cut back from outside your boundary again?

I think really if your stuff is overhanging it's probably best to maintain it yourself, because the council or others are within their rights to cut it back iirc.

 

[Boudicca]

I'm pretty sure that 6 foot is the maximum. My Brixton neighbour built one higher than that as the garden sloped downwards and they started with 6 foot panels at the higher end and made it level. It was mildly annoying as it blocked light from my garden, but I was never going to snitch on someone to Lambeth council.

Could you put some trellis across the top? I don't think that counts as wall/fence.

 

[Elpenor]

Yes, I agree with Boudicca you could attach a trellis topper to raise the wall height very quickly and cheaply and I am pretty sure it comes in 6x 1ft strips

 

[freshapple]

Yes, I agree with Boudicca you could attach a trellis topper to raise the wall height very quickly and cheaply and I am pretty sure it comes in 6x 1ft strips

I think trellis counts to the height permitted

Planning permission for fences: How high can a fence be without planning?

Discover what you need to know about planning permission for fences, as well as how high a fence can be without planning permission

www.homebuilding.co.uk

 

[Boudicca]

I think trellis counts to the height permitted

Planning permission for fences: How high can a fence be without planning?

Discover what you need to know about planning permission for fences, as well as how high a fence can be without planning permission

www.homebuilding.co.uk

Even if it does count, it's a relatively cheap way of testing if you can get away with it.

(I'll have to take a picture of my neighbour here's wall, it's definitely higher than 6 foot and has trellis too. I have a feeling it was built before they invented planning permission!)

 

[Elpenor]

Even if it does count, it's a relatively cheap way of testing if you can get away with it.

(I'll have to take a picture of my neighbour here's wall, it's definitely higher than 6 foot and has trellis too. I have a feeling it was built before they invented planning permission!)

Yes exactly, you could put a trellis up in an hour and it’s cheap. If you had to take it down you could probably use elsewhere in the garden too

 

[danny la rouge]

I came here to say add trellis, but I see that’s already been covered.

 

[plurker]

I came here to say add trellis, but I see that’s already been covered.

Fast growing plants if it's already covered

 

[danski]

Leylandii!
Why stop at a lousy 6foot?!

 

[WouldBe]

Razor wire

Or plant spikey plants by the wall.

 

[bemused]

I'd ask the council, random internet advice may not be that helpful.

 

[WouldBe]

I'd ask the council, random internet advice may not be that helpful.

What are you saying?

 

[bemused]

What are you saying?

That collectively we don't know as much as we think we do.

 

[moochedit]

Can you put up a 6 foot wooden fence on your side of the brick wall? Or knock down the brick wall and replace with the wooden fence?

 

[Boudicca]

I'd ask the council, random internet advice may not be that helpful.

Yea, but it's Lambeth, it would probably take them 2 years to reply and then the answer would be wrong anyway.