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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To want to put up a fence in the front garden?

33 replies

PastelPompoms · 25/08/2020 13:18

Name changed for this incase anything is identifiable from the picture!

We have some nice grass at the front which gets lots of shade. The front garden has no division from the neighbour’s driveway and I’d love to put up a fence to make it private and useable. The fence would be entirely on our land and not on his property at all, but I don’t think he’d like it.

When we moved in, the fence out the back was a very low, wire fence with no privacy. We put up a 6ft fence (4ft solid and two foot in a nice design with a gaps at the top if that makes sense).
He was not impressed and said neighbour’s didn’t usually put up fences like that in their back gardens

In general, the neighbour is not very chatty and rarely talks to us, it’s rare we even get a hello when he sees us.

AIBU to put up a fence at the front so we can have some privacy and use the space? I will try and include a picture to show where his driveway meets our garden. The gravel part is his and the grass is our side.

To want to put up a fence in the front garden?

OP posts:

NameChange564738 · 25/08/2020 13:20

You can do what you like on your land so YANBU

BUT

It sounds like he’ll cause a fuss about not being able to open the door that side as easily anymore?

LonginesPrime · 25/08/2020 13:25

Go for it, OP - IMO it does look a bit unfinished without some sort of border (I'm thinking a low hedge or small picket fence or something).

That said, I'm not sure how much privacy you'd get from a little border and a six foot fence might look a bit odd!

MaverickDanger · 25/08/2020 13:28

I’d check if you’re allowed to - my sister has a similar set up and they are not allowed to have anything taller than 2ft to separate. We also share a drive with a neighbour and cannot put up anything to separate our drives.

It does also look like a fence there, unless quite far onto your side, would make it difficult for him to park & open doors.

FAQs · 25/08/2020 13:29

Can he still open his car door with a fence although I guess that’s not your issue but might be a cause to moan?

bettsbattenburg · 25/08/2020 13:30

You'd need to check the rules for fences by roads:

Planning Permission

You will need to apply for planning permission if you wish to erect or add to a fence, wall or gate and:

it would be over 1 metre high and next to a highway used by vehicles (or the footpath of such a highway); or over 2 metres high elsewhere;

AdoptAdaptImprove · 25/08/2020 13:31

On many estates and developments there are covenants which prohibit the enclosure of open-plan front gardens, so you’ll need to check that out first.

It does look as though it would make it more difficult for your neighbour to get in and out of his car. Is this what you’re trying to achieve? Would you really use your front garden to sit / play out in? If so, are you proposing fully enclosing it with 6’ fencing? That’s the only way you’d make it private, and I think it would be very strange looking.

Is there more to this situation?

latticechaos · 25/08/2020 13:32

I agree check your deeds but ultimately if no restrictions you can do as you wish. You may want to tell him ahead of the work. Not ask, just inform, so he has time to adjust.

I have never bought a house with shared drive for this reason.

Be aware of planning rules adjacent to highway too.

FizzyPink · 25/08/2020 13:33

We have something similar, our front garden is pretty large but no fence so zero use to us (we don’t have a back garden because it’s a flat).

We knocked several times on the door of the neighbour who lives next door and they never answered so we put a note through the door detailing our plans. They’ve never said anything but the neighbours above have complained so much because we now use that space whereas we couldn’t before.

I really couldn’t care less, it looks incredible, we now have a usable garden and it will have increased the value of the flat when we sell next year.

It’s your house, I’d go for it

Summerdayss21 · 25/08/2020 13:34

Your garden, your land, do what you like within planning permissions.

Bluntness100 · 25/08/2020 13:36

I think you need to check you can do that, both from a planning permission and a covenant perspective.

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 25/08/2020 13:40

It sounds like he’ll cause a fuss about not being able to open the door that side as easily anymore?

Almost certainly, but he has no rights to the freedom of use of your land - and thereby denying you the right to do whatever you want with it - even if it's just to swing a car door over once or twice a day. Plus, I'm guessing that whoever gets in or out on that side of the car very probably steps on to the edge of your land as they do so, ergo they are treating part of your garden as an extension of their property.

YANBU - go ahead and do it. Depending on how much space you have, you could always plant some bushes that would grow to a good height. Not only does that eventually give you a lot more height-privacy than a fence, it's also more stealthy as it grows little by little rather than a big panel being whacked up in one single go - the Mrs Twitt Walking Stick Effect

candycane222 · 25/08/2020 13:41

If the fence would be an issue, how about some shrubs, or something tall like bamboo in tubs, so it can be a bit in from the edge and not bump car doors etc?

Witchend · 25/08/2020 13:43

We're not allowed fences or hedges in front gardens on our estate. So your garden your rules isn't true.

Aweebawbee · 25/08/2020 13:47

AIBU to put up a fence at the front so we can have some privacy and use the space?

It would need to be a pretty high fence if you wanted it for privacy reasons. Does he stray over the boundary?

TreestumpsAndTrampolines · 25/08/2020 13:50

All I can say is bloody hell, these rules about what you're allowed in your own front garden on an estate is crazy - only steps away from not being able to hang out your washing, or requiring sprinklers to be on at certain times...

I mean.. check your deeds, but absolutely YANBU to find some way to get a bit of privacy - pots of bamboo, pampas grass (:O), whatever technically meets the rules :)

bettsbattenburg · 25/08/2020 13:51

You don't need planning permission for a hedge, you could have a row of troughs with plants in them perhaps? We've got that between us and next door.

2bazookas · 25/08/2020 13:52

@NameChange564738

You can do what you like on your land so YANBU

BUT

It sounds like he’ll cause a fuss about not being able to open the door that side as easily anymore?

Nope, you can't do what you like on your land.

. The title deeds of many homes control what owners (or, their rental tenants) can and can't do on their land. So do local Planning Department regulations.

custardbear · 25/08/2020 13:55

If you're allowed then go for it!
I suspect it'll cause issues, he probably needs to use part of your land to open his car door ...
But tough luck

FeelinFagin · 25/08/2020 14:01

As long as there's no rule you cannot, get a fence up OP!

There's a fella round here who owns a coach for hire. He parks it on his drive and the new neighbours put a fence up on their side to split their drive from his (fence had been removed long time ago.). He just tore it back out and left it at their door because he couldn't get his coach on his drive if the fence was there as he'd not be able to drive on their driveway. As the house was rented and they couldn't get their LL to back them up they just said screw this and moved out soon after.

Me? I'm a bit more stubborn than that. I'd have as many cars as I could fit parked up right to the edge of my drive even if had meant borrowing scrap cars.

I truly believe that 'Good fences make good neighbours'.

IntermittentParps · 25/08/2020 14:02

He was not impressed and said neighbour’s didn’t usually put up fences like that in their back gardens

That isn't a sensible comment, so AFAIC you don't need to give a shit what he thinks. As long as it's legal and within planning regs etc, do what you want.

Chloemol · 25/08/2020 14:03

You need to check your deeds that there is no covenant in place to stop you from putting up a fence.

If there isn’t then go ahead, although a six foot one might be very imposing

Bluntness100 · 25/08/2020 14:06

Surprised at some folks weighing in and saying do it, when they clearly have no idea if she can or not. The neighbour isn’t the issue. The covenants in her deeds and planning permission is.

She needs to make sure there are no covenants that prohibit anything separating in the gardens, many estates have these, to maintain a uniform look and also to prevent the issues the neighbour will have Ie not being able to open their car doors on one side.

In addition as much as she doesn’t need planning for a hedge, she needs to be aware of what she can and cannot do next to a public highway or foot path. You can’t just whack a fence up and if folks don’t know what they are talking about they shouldn’t be giving out advice.

Disfordarkchocolate · 25/08/2020 14:07

If you can then go ahead if you want to. I suggest you think carefully about hight and design though. You don't want your house too look like it needs a fence to be secure.

TreestumpsAndTrampolines · 25/08/2020 14:08

There's a fella round here who owns a coach for hire. He parks it on his drive and the new neighbours put a fence up on their side to split their drive from his

I noticed when we moved into a new place that many of the other semis had concrete pillars at the end of the drive separating them from next door (with bushes up the middle) but ours didn't, and next door, strangely had a concrete pillar just to the side of their front door :)

Now actually, removing that dividing pillar made life easier for both of us, but I did find it amusing that they'd waited between tenants to detach and remove it.

KarenFitzkaren · 25/08/2020 14:10

You might not be able to. I have a similar set up and the front gardens have to be open plan. Sadly.

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