FURIOUS residents have hit out at their neighbour’s £800 fence which they claim spoils the area and puts drivers at risk.
A homeowner erected the 6ft fence outside their property in Skelton, Teesside, just after lockdown.
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But residents in the cul-de-sac have made a number of complaints to the council due to its appearance and they want it torn down.
One resident said they had already witnessed a number of near misses when cars were negotiating the blind bend.
Others say it creates a danger for children playing in the street and is an “eyesore”.
Councillors from Redcar and Cleveland have deferred a decision on granting retrospective planning permission for the fence.
The fence snakes around the tight bend in the road situated close to semi-detached homes and bungalows.
During a recent council meeting, the fence was described by residents as too high and that it changed the ‘feel’ of the estate.
The fence had extra trellis panels at the top at the time the planning meeting was called but they had gone when The Sun visited the site.
Mum-of-three Susan Dick, 47, and her husband Stuart, 51, were two who raised the complaints with the local authority.
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Susan, who works on a chemical plant site, said: “It used to be an older couple who lived there but then they moved out.
“But then the homeowner moved in and he put this great big fence up.
How high can a garden fence be?
THERE are laws in place concerning the height of a garden fence and you may need a planning permit if you want to put up a particularly high fence.
Things aren’t quite so clear-cut as you may think.
Despite what many people think a garden fence can be as high as 100m but you need to get planning permission for any fence taller than 2m.
Any fence under 2m does not need planning permission.
However, there are some complications to this.
If you are thinking about front garden fences, restrictions state that fences alongside a driveway can be a maximum of 1m or 3ft.
You would need to get planning permission for putting a trellis on a fence of 2m.
But, if any plant that you grow on that trellis exceeds 2m, you do not need to obtain a permit for the growing plant.
If you’re wanting to apply for planning permission for your building project then you need to do this via your local council.
Should you choose to ignore the rules and go ahead with your fencing there might be some negative consequences.
If your fence/wall/garden gate doesn’t comply with the permitted development and hasn’t obtained the correct planning permission, your local council could issue an enforcement notice for you to take down your fence/ wall/ gate.
“We know to stop when we get to the end of the road but strangers in the area don’t know to slow down and it’s a nightmare.
“We nearly got wiped out because drivers just can’t see. If a little child was coming down another car might not stop.”
A written document submitted by the couple to the council highlighted a number of close calls with delivery drivers approaching the street.
Linda Borrow, who has lived in the street for over 25 years, said she no longer lets her grandchildren play outside.
The 62-year-old retired admin assistant said: “It’s an absolute nightmare.
“It’s a big safety risk. Big vans can possibly see over the fence but we can’t see them coming.
“In the past I’ve had near-misses. I’ve been so focused to see if anyone is coming around the corner but then missed someone coming from the avenue to the other side.”
Another grandmother, who did not want to be named, said: “It creates a big problem around road safety. Whichever way you drive around the bend, you cannot see around the corner.
“It’s also not very nice to look at either.”
There was no answer at the homeowner’s address when approached.
The Sun has also contacted the local authority for comment.
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This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk
