Planning Permission for Fences

Obtaining a planning permission for fences can be an annoying endeavour, but luckily for us, it is often not needed

There are certain – relatively clear – guidelines that can assist you in the process, and they come in quite handy when you want to make sure that you don’t break any regulations. In addition to thwarting your efforts, a blunder like that could also result a fairly big fine that could set you back for months, if not years. It just doesn’t worth it, and don’t forget that you could be fined years after building your fences. It’s better to follow all regulations.

Now that we agreed on that, let me ask you something. Were you wondering how high can a fence be without planning permission? Or you had another question in mind about a fencing planning permission? Whatever the case may be, this guide will clear up any doubts you could have had on the subject and once all your questions were answered, you will be able to move on with the project and get closer to your home building or remodelling goals. After all, that is why you are here.

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When it’s not required

Instead of listing what could be considered grounds for refusal, let’s start with the most important question, a question you should ask first: do I need planning permission for a fence? Well,It depends. There are clear-cut criteria regarding this question – two of them actually – and in order to avoid having to obtain a fencing planning permission, both of them needs to be met, simultaneously. Let’s take a look at these clear guidelines and go from there.

1^st criteria

If your wall or fence:

If your fence’s height does not exceed 2 metres anywhere on your property, you do not need a fencing planning permission. However, there is catch.
If your fence connects to a road or a walkway, the regulation height is 1 metre, instead of the 2.

2^nd criteria

If you don’t:

Live in a shared surface, in which case you naturally have to consult with the local area planning office that will check if there is a special condition linked to the planning permission for that specific land. If there is such existing condition that could supersede these guidelines, hence the need for the consultation. Naturally, if you don’t live in open plan and you are the sole owner of your property, you can just ignore the 2^nd

Decking and platforms

Decking and raised platforms are also regulated but just like with the fences, under certain circumstances the planning permission is not required. Those conditions are the followings:

The planning permission is not requited if all of the three following criteria were simultaneously met:

1^st – If the height of the deck or platform is less than 0.3 metres.

2^nd – The deck is not in the front of the house or at a side that faces a road.

3^rd – In case you are living in a conservation area, the deck is not between a wall forming or side elevation.

The decks’ height cannot exceed 2 metres under any circumstances and of course if you live in a listed building, you will need a permission to proceed.