To remove this fence? DIAGRAM INCLUDED!

[ShinyPinkLipgloss]

New build estate in village. Semi detached house. Moved in a year ago. NDN are HUGELY unreasonable and completely NON APPROACHABLE. Long backstory but basically the police have told them if they come near us they will be charged due to serious past incidents.

All of the properties have a side access gate and 6ft fence along the back gardens. No issues there.

However, we were supposed to have a lovely dry stonewall along the front of the house. Issues with building foundations resulted in said wall collapsing. As a result the builders put in a HIDEOUS wire fence. It's awful. I could honestly say I that I could build a better looking fence myself and I'm no carpenter!

So, my AIBU.......

The fence runs along the front of both my and NDN's house (see attached diagram). There is no physical barrier between both our front gardens. So if I remove it the fence will just suddenly STOP and possibly look a bit ridiculous. However - should I care? If they were reasonable NDNs I'd approach them and say "I'm getting rid of this - would you like these bits to fence off your garden from mine?" However such an amicable discussion is just not possible.

When I first moved in the front fence was not there and it looked great - just a lovely open space. Now it looks like I should have some stinking sheep in my front garden and I hate walking past it every day (I know - first world problems and all that).

What would you do? I don't want to replace it with another fence as I honestly think it looks great just open! Plus I could do without the additional expense.

Is it possible to cut the wire fence off at the border of your property and put a nice little picket fence along the entirety of your border include the grassy area?

So they have they wire on their side still but you can the small picket fen e or nothing iyswim

Personally I would fence off your property, so a new fence along red line then replacing the wire fence on your boundary.

Neighbour’s Wire fence would then meet whatever you put up and won’t stop mid air.

Rip it out on your side and leave the neighbours to do what they want with theirs. Beautiful diagram btw

I would want to put a boundary in place to separate your front garden from nasty ndn's garden.

I think I'd also want yo keep something separating my grass from the pavement (thinking of dogs, kids going on the grass etc).

How about planting low shrubs infront of the fence so you don't see it?

@RaffertyFair there were in fact small shrubs planted in front of it by the developers and, one year on, they had just about disguised it. However, to my horror, my gardener (when I was at work) trimmed them all seriously back as he was worried they were becoming unruly and possibly a hinderance to passing pedestrians. I was most upset!

Any signs they might recover?

Not for a loooooong time - he was pretty brutal with his chainsaw!

Remove ugly fence from your property
Add a white picket fence along the red border and across the front of yourS.

Don’t even discuss with dickhead neighbours

Chainsaw?? Blimey, not exactly Alan Titchmarsh is he!

Do nndn have shrubs too? Because if so, removing the fence up to their boundary won't look so odd.

FWIW I agree with pp that putting in a simple fence separating your grass from nndn will create a corner for the start of the ugly fence (if you remove it from in front of your front garden)

They do have shrubs too however they never grew anywhere near as high as ours did. We laugh about it as it increases our suspicions about them.....OH has a theory that the sunshine avoids their property!

Do what you wish with your property ShinyPinkLipgloss . You owe nndn nothing!

Thanks for all of the responses..... I’m currently googling prices for white picket fences......

Presumably you bought the house expecting the wall? Contact the builders. Their temp wire one has done its job but it is time you got what you paid for.

@ShinyPinkLipgloss I'd suggest that you check your title deeds to make sure you haven't got a covenant on the front garden to keep to a certain style of fencing before you do anything.

If you were expecting a stone wall why did you settle for a wire fence??

I would press for the stone wall too, through solicitors if needed! You paid for that not a wire fence.

Excellent diagram. Good advice from pps.

That sounds like a nightmare OP! Are there any clauses stating you can’t separate the gardens with a nice big wall? I know mine is like that so have had to put up with my NDNs trespassing freely thinking it’s theirs. I feel your pain!

The builders need to come back and install the wall. You paid for the property based on this being completed. Sod paying for any fencing yourself. I’d be off to a solicitor threatening action.

Check the planning permission for the development to see if there are any conditions on the provision of boundary treatment. It is likely the developers would have had to supply details of proposed boundary treatments as a condition of granting planning permission and the details of the dry stonewall would have been considered by the Local Planning Authority and discharged the condition. Depending on the wording of the condition, the replacement of the dry stonewall with a wire fence may breach that condition. It's worth checking with the Local Planning Authority to see if the developer is still obliged to provide the Drystone boundary treatment or, if that's not proving possible for technical reasons, a suitable alternative to be agreed with by the Local Planning Authority

No advice OP but that is one beautiful diagram.

I'd go back to the builders about the wall that should be there.

Best MN diagram ever!

Pay for someone to put the red fence up, you'll need to add a sturdy post at the end to tie the now cut and loose wires of NDN's fence to.

If you take down the fence and don’t put anything between you and NNDN is there the danger that they or their visitors will short cut across your grass?

You’d be opening up access to their garden too, which would piss me off and I’m a lovely neighbour!