To put up a fence panel to block neighbours?

[holdthehonest]

My neighbour just had a driveway put in. Unfortunately for me it’s a semi-detached and I have a bay window. They now park their car just inches from my window (they park diagonally for whatever reason)

I was just sitting down now with a cup of tea in my living room, suddenly car lights in my face and my neighbour staring at me.

Just feels like an invasion of privacy and all I can seems to think to resolve it is by putting up a panel to block them out, but it would be very obvious as to why I’ve suddenly got a high fence panel in my front garden.

Trellis panels, stepping down with climbers is the cheap option. Decorative panels if you have the budget.

As others have said, there is a height limit for fencing in front gardens. You may get away with one panel, adjacent to your house, but be prepared to remove it if neighbour complains. While waiting for the complaint, plant fast growing conifers to provide screening.

Yes, depending on your frontage, you may need planning if going above a meter. We had to get planning for our side/front fence, which is 5 foot high.

Literally never noticed any houses with shared/ non-separated front gardens, but seems to be so common on MN! Why wouldn’t there be a fence or wall if it’s a boundary 😵‍💫

Regardless, they should be reversing into their drive.

Reversing onto the drive was my first thought too. They should be doing this anyway as it’s safer to get out.

I would speak to them.

But then you get a load of exhaust fumes in your window or front door

If it's a semi where they've paved the lawn or garden over to provide parking space then it's totally reasonable to put a fence or trellis up.

Do people reverse onto their drives? It's not been my experience?

All our neighbours reverse but then we live next to a school. DD drives into hers but then she’s crap at reversing into spaces.

They are presumably parking in front of their own front window so I don’t understand how it can be inches from yours

Just put the fence up, who cares of the ndn realises why you've done it. Tbh if I was your ndn I'd have the sense to realise that I'm disturbing you, especially if he stares straight at you through your window. So you putting a fence up isn't an issue

I’d speak to them and say the new drive looks very smart but you noticed their car feels very close to your property now, you’d prefer it they would be kind enough to reverse up the drive so you don’t feel you are so overlooked. Mention that you will also be putting up some top shrubs along the boundary to help with the problem in future.

My mum grew a holly hedge along a boundary once to irk an annoying neighbour!

Another vote to consider the privacy film you put on glass. Does not affect you seeing out but they can't see in. It's on amazon and not too expensive. You can peel it off if you don't like it.

I’d speak to them and say the new drive looks very smart but you noticed their car feels very close to your property now, you’d prefer it they would be kind enough to reverse up the drive so you don’t feel you are so overlooked.

Can imagine the response from most neighbours on that.

We need a picture!

If you go for the trellis option there is a fast growing clematis called Montana (I think) that will make it pretty quickly.

Love this!

😂

Fences or other means of enclosure so trellis panels etc) can be 2 m high without planning permission unless adjacent to the highway when the maximum is 1m. Generally when considering fences between front gardens they can be 2m until you get to the last panel next to the pavement which should be 1m. This is so cars leaving the property can get a good view of pedestrians and traffic, and vice versa.

You can get mirrored film to put on your window - you can see out but they can't see in. Sounds good for your situation.

Definitely check your deeds and any related documents such as covenants. In our street, we’re only allowed to mark the front boundaries of our front gardens with a two-foot-high wall. In the street we used to live in, the front gardens had to be completely open plan - no fences or walls anywhere, although shrubs seemed to be fine.

That said, in our old street, two households out of 60 have breached the covenant and put up fences in their front gardens (although not on the front boundary) and no one has made them take them down.

Our council is pretty hot in coming down on any breaches, although low level fencing is allowed (not sure that height would help OP). Retrospective planning applications have failed.

OP would you be able to provide a diagram as its difficult to envisage what the set up is. That may help with putting forward solutions.

A diagram? Seriously? People have no ability to imagine a perfectly normal scenario on this site, or have some weird fetish for diagrams.

I feel you OP. We have the same issue with our new ndn but luckily we have a hedge that we have just let grow high enough to block them out. It can feel very intrusive.

Probably their poor driving skills are why they park the way they do. Reasonable to have a fence, talk to them as to why you will be doing this, it's disruptive not just intrusive.

Use plants. You don't need any building consents for plants and some grow quite tall, quite quickly. Look at the Royal Horticultural Society website, where you can enter your requirements and it'll give you options.