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New nieghbours, new fence and eye-saws

We move into our house three years ago and our nighbour had a large shed along the left hand stretch of our garden (we had no fence, the shed was our fence) It was abit of an eye saw and so we planted rambling roses and other climbers to hide it. After three years it looked amazing, our very own cottage garden! The property next door has now sold and the new nieghbours have torn down the shed and have errected a standard 6ft fence. Due to the hieght difference in the two gardens we can see everything and its not a great look (caravans and rubbish). We had to remove the roses as most of them got damaged when the shed came down! I thought it would be fine and we could fix the existing climbers to the new fence or even add trellis to the top but our nieghbours don't want us to attach anything to it! What would anyone advise to help to get our privacy back? We don't want anything to big that would incrough into the garden as the garden isn't that wide. I would love to hear people's thought. Thanks in advance.
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  • Thanks 'pansyface' and 'Phillippa smith2' I had thought of cementing in 100mm x 100mm x 10ft posts and joining them with 2ft by 6ft trellis. Not sure how this would work when it comes to digging the holes as our neighbour has cemented his posts in and so my fence post foundations would not be very deep before i hit freshly poured cement and rubble. The alternative would be to offset them but not sure how this would look visually.
  • hogweedhogweed Posts: 4,053

    Certainly in Scotland and down in England I think, the highest a dividing fence can be is 6 foot. So you may have problems. I don't think there are any guidelines on the height of a pergola though.

    'Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement' - Helen Keller
  • RozieRozie Posts: 26

    I'd be interested to know exactly where the boundary between the gardens should be. I think it was a bit of a mistake on your part, James, to have planted things hard against your neighbours' shed but equally your new neighbour had no right to put in concrete that 'spills' into your property, even if it is underground. If it is on your property you have a perfect right to break it up. However non of this is going to improve relations with your neighbours. Could you put in a series of archs over which your roses etc. could grow, and put plants in large pots, or garden ornaments, in the 'alcoves' thus created?

  • If you put in the maximum permitted height 6 foot fence 'backing' their fence, then you'd be legally allowed to put a trellis on top of your fence, and then grow loads of climbing plants. Trellis, I believe, comes in various 'mesh' sizes, from large 'holes' inside the squares/diamonds, to much smaller ones. I'd choose the finest 'mesh' to giv the maximum veiling for yourself.

    Don't forget that if your climbers overhang into your neighbour's garden they have the right to cut them back to the boundary (and toss the cuttings into your garden!).

    I've even wondered whether it's legal to, say, use fabric to increase the height of a fence, sort of a la a wind break on the beach, with struts fixed to the fence posts, and then the fabric strung between them to create more height on the fence, but remaining 'removable' if necessary. Not sure it would survive winter gales??

    Another possibility might be a 'tall thin long' garden shed to do the job their old shed did, but on your side of the boundary?? There might be a legal maximum height, but it could still, I think, be taller than the six foot max fence height.

    I'm facing a similar situation since a border tree came down last winter in the gales - luckily my neighbour's garden is a lot more scenic than your neighbour's. But I do want to 'shield' my garden from their bedroom windows, which can see into it.

    I agree it's tricky to find 'thin tall trees' that are fast growing and can act as a nice narrow green fence.

     

     

  • I think sheds and outhouses have to be under a certain height before they need planning permission, and they most certainly need to be a set distance from the neighbouring garden/fence.  There is, however, no height restriction for plants! I sympathise loads, both sides of us do not keep their gardens remotely nice, one has doggie poo left for weeks. It's delightful when they scoop it against the shared fence and then the rain, or when they get the hose out and it comes running into our garden.

    Oh to live in the middle of nowhere!! '-)

  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,023

    http://www.kevintwelvetrees.co.uk/images/rustic-trellis.jpg

     

    I think jenny j's idea of a fence on your side with a trellis on it is good. Or a rustic pole trellis. Years ago, my husband made a rustic trellis, using chestnut posts, quite tall, like the one in the photo. You could put one on your side of the fence, should be allowed as it's quite open. Ours filled up quickly as we planted roses and clematis up it and made a bed in front with cottage garden plants such as perennial geraniums.

     

    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • RozieRozie Posts: 26

    I'm sorry, blighty mam, but there is a height restriction for plants if they are evergreen. Two or more such plants at a garden boundary constitute a 'hedge' and should be no more than eight feet high. If you found something fast growing to fill the offending gap in a hurry you would very soon find you were spending a lot of time keeping it down to the legal height!. I think arches, as I suggested before, or trellis, needing fence posts(!!!!!) are about the only options. A shed is out since in James's first post he indicated he didn't want anything wide.

  • I think the height restriction applies to conifers, and it's quite high.   this forum has lots of information

    http://www.gardenlaw.co.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=19292

  • I know how you feel.the house next to me was sold 6 months ago. my new neighbors have plowed every shrub and taken down almost every tree. I never saw into any yards til now,I can see clear through 2 backyards I live on long island in the u.s,I guess this happens everywhere,I would put up some lattice fencing and you will have some privacy until you plant.

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