Does anyone know if we need permission to add a gate to the back of our garden?

[Birdie728]

We have access to our garden via the side. Running along the back of our garden is an alley way which leads to 2 houses at the back and out onto their street. We’d like to add another gate at the bottom of our garden so that we can enter and exit through the bottom of the garden via their street and alley way.

Do we need any permission to do that? We know the people at the back and they’re lovely. We’d explain what we were doing and why and I’m sure they wouldn’t mind but is it actually legal?

[RainbowMum11]

Do you have access rights from the alleyway?

[FredaFrogspawn]

Can’t see why not if the alley is a right of way but remember it would also be a way of burglars to get onto your property unseen so make sure it’s a good strong gate with a lock.

[Birdie728]

No, our access is to the side of the property. Am I right in thinking that if the alley way isn’t owned by anyone then you can add access to it? (I’ve literally spent 5 minutes googling this so I’m pretty clueless!)

[Birdie728]

I don’t even know about the alley way that we currently use. It gives access to 3 back gardens but I don’t know who ones it.

Yeh we’d make sure we had a good lock on it.

[titchy]

Someone will own it! Land isn't just unowned, although often it's unclear who the owner actually is.

You need to check your deeds to see if you have a right of way over it. If you haven't, then you can't put a gate there. If you have, you can.

[Birdie728]

titchy aren’t alley ways often public right of ways? I’ll have a look on the land registry.

[MinesAPintOfTea]

If the alleyway only goes to two houses then it's quite likely that only those two houses have right of access along it. An alley that is also public footpath that any member of the public can use is different

[Birdie728]

Thanks for the info.

[Birdie728]

An update (I’m sure no one is actually interested but you never know!). We’ve spoken to the neighbours at the back, they own the alley way and are happy for us to add a gate to our fence and use it.

[MinesAPintOfTea]

Thanks for the update, and good news!