New UK garden fence law 'simplifies' rules but households could face £20k fine
New UK garden fence rules came into force in May 2025 and govern the height of fences in your front and back garden - and breaching them could result in a hefty fine
UK homeowners with gardens are being alerted to potential fines of up to a whopping £20,000. This comes after new regulations were enforced in May 2025 as part of "The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015", which streamlines the guidelines for altering boundaries, hedges or erecting new fences.
Which? Legal Expert Gurpreet Chhokar issued a cautionary note, saying: "If you're thinking of putting up a new garden fence this summer, there are a few important things to bear in mind to make sure you don't break any laws and find yourself landed with a fine."
For rear garden fences, the law permits structures up to two metres high without the need for planning permission. Gurpreet explained: "If you don't have planning permission then your fence can't be any higher than two metres from the ground."
Front garden fences are restricted to one metre in height if they face a footpath, road, or public area, equating to just over three feet, reports Birmingham Live.
Gurpreet further advised: "There will also be some cases where planning permission will be needed if the fence is more than a meter high - such as if it borders a highway or the footpath of a highway if you're not sure, then it's worth getting in touch with your local planning authority (which is usually your local council) to check."
As a rule of thumb, when it comes to fence replacement, the left-hand side of your garden – as viewed from the street – typically falls under your jurisdiction.
If you find that the "rough" side of the fence is facing your property, it's likely your responsibility to keep it in good repair.
Homeowners and businesses have been cautioned that failing to maintain their fences could result in fines reaching up to £5,000 for private residents or £20,000 for commercial entities.
This reminder comes at an opportune moment, as UK households gear up for gardening chores and outdoor DIY projects during the summer season.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
3 days ago
- The Sun
I have to knock down my swish bungalow because neighbours say it looks ‘alien' & breaches privacy… it's ridiculous
A DAD claims he faces homelessness after he was ordered to tear down a bungalow in his ex-wife's back garden in a planning row. Mark Jones, 55, spent £180,000 building the home in Sutton Coldfield but now has until the end of June to demolish the mini property. 5 5 5 He accused Birmingham City Council of "bullying" him and said he would move to Spain if it had to be bulldozed. He began the build without planning permission in March 2019, hoping his late father could move in. But his father died that October and Mark's daughter and her boyfriend used it during the pandemic before he moved in himself. But a neighbour had already complained and Mark was told by a council officer that he needed planning consent. Six years on, Mark, who initially believed he could build the bungalow under permitted development rules, has less than a fortnight to meet the demolition deadline having twice been refused planning permission and lost an appeal. He told BirminghamLive: 'We thought we could do permitted development, two bedrooms and a bathroom, and a dining room/living space. 'It was a separate building within the permitted development size. "But a planning officer came out and said I could not continue and needed planning permission." The planning officer initially came out in April 2019 - and the application was ultimately rejected in late 2019 and again in 2020. Mark added: "My dad died in October 2019. At the time, my daughter was training to be a paediatric nurse and moved into the bungalow with her boyfriend because of Covid. I came home to find my nightmare neighbour knocking down my DOOR – he claimed it was his right to do it 'We had a date to have the building down by March 14, 2022. We put our head in the sand.' Mark said he initially continued building despite his planning problems because his dad was gravelly ill and he was convinced he would eventually secure consent. His first application was rejected in October 2019, the same month he lost his father, because the "siting, design, appearance and plot layout would adversely affect the established mature character of the existing residential area". The development work continued with the roof and windows completed at the end of November. A second application - also refused - was submitted that month, for the retention of the bungalow with a kitchen/dining area, two bedrooms (both approximately 12 square metres), bathroom and a store. 5 5 There were three objections from residents raising parking issues, privacy and light concerns, and concerns from Walmley Ash Allotment Association. The residents said the building in a back garden was 'over-intensive', 'contrary to planning law' and would 'set a poor precedent for other home owners in the area'. Undeterred, Mark completed the internal works in June 2020 and appealed to The Planning Inspectorate. But in February 2021 inspector, Samuel Watson refused the 'backland' development. He said homes in Walmley Ash Road mainly featured undeveloped gardens and described the bungalow as 'alien '. In November 2021, Mark was told to take the bungalow down by March 14, 2022. He submitted a new permitted development certificate application for a single-storey outbuilding but that has yet to be decided. He said he was told even if it were granted, and he was convinced it should be, he would need to pull down the original bungalow and build it again. He said: 'We were told it's got to come down by the end of June.. The council is taking me to court. 'My ex-wife is a midwife and can't get a criminal record. The council is supposed to have done things it hasn't done." Mark added: 'It's bullying. It wants us to knock a house down that's perfectly reasonable. "From the street or a neighbour's garden, you wouldn't see anything. You can't see into windows. 'We back onto an allotment and I have offered to plant trees. There was a garage there before. 'The council made silly comments like it was not the right shape for the area. 'My dad was dying and the urgency was there. In all honesty, I wouldn't do it again.' 'Council should've put an enforcement notice to stop me building it' Mark claims the bungalow is "100 per cent within permitted development certificate limits" and pointed to the fact it doesn't have separate water or internet. He said: "We don't pay separate council tax. We can't have all three utilities until we have planning permission. 'Every single thing has been refused by Birmingham City Council. 'I don't want to knock it down. It's a waste of time and money. If I get the permitted development certificate, we are going to sell the house with an annex. 'The council should have put an enforcement on me to stop me building it. If I lose, I am moving to Spain and I will take the house down. 'Ultimately, I acknowledge I am at fault. However, I believe the council also bears significant responsibility due to the initial misguidance, followed by a severe lack of communication, support, and adherence to its own procedures.' A spokeswoman for Birmingham City Council said 'Mr Jones is currently in breach of the enforcement notice that was served to him in 2021, and we have given him ample time to comply with the notice by the end of June 2025. 'A decision will be made imminently on the lawful development certificate that Mr Jones has submitted, and a case officer will then be in contact with him to advise further.'
Daily Record
4 days ago
- Daily Record
Man who spent £180k on bungalow in back garden for dying dad has days to demolish building
Mark Jones spent £180,000 on building a bungalow in his ex-wife's garden. He has now been ordered to tear it down by the council amid a planning row. A dad claims he could been " bullied" by the council and fears he could be made homeless after he was ordered to tear down a bungalow in his ex-wife's back garden over a planning dispute. Mark Jones, 55, spent £180,000 building the house for his late father. However, when a neighbour complained that the work had begun without planning permission, Mark was told by a council officer that he needed planning permission, reports the Mirror. He began the build in Walmley Ash Road, Sutton Coldfield, in March 2019, for his dad who died that October. Mark's daughter and her boyfriend used it during the Covid pandemic before he moved in years on, Mark, who originally believed he could build the bungalow under permitted development rules, has less than two weeks to meet the demolition deadline - having twice been refused planning permission and losing an appeal. He told BirminghamLive: 'We thought we could do permitted development, two bedrooms and a bathroom, and a dining room/living space. It was a separate building within the permitted development size. "But a planning officer came out and said I could not continue and needed planning permission. I put in for permission but carried on building. Unfortunately, a builder left us in the lurch. We started in March 2019 and the planning officer initially came out in April 2019. 'Within two days we got a planner to redo the plans, and with the plans we put in a kitchen to make it liveable. The application was rejected late in 2019 and again in 2020. My dad died in October 2019. At the time, my daughter was training to be a paediatric nurse and moved into the bungalow with her boyfriend because of Covid. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. 'We had a date to have the building down by March 14, 2022. We put our head in the sand.' Mark revealed he initially continued building, despite the planning wrangle due to his dad's declining health and he was convinced he would eventually be granted permission. In October 2019, the same month he lost his father, his planning application was rejected due to "siting, design, appearance and plot layout would adversely affect the established mature character of the existing residential area." The development work continued and the roof and windows were completed at the end of November. A second application, which was also refused, was submitted the same month, for the retention of the bungalow with a kitchen/dining area, two bedrooms (both approximately 12 square metres), bathroom and a store. Three residents lodged objections surrounding parking issues, privacy and light concerns, and concerns from Walmley Ash Allotment Association. Locals said the building in the back garden was 'over-intensive', 'contrary to planning law' and would 'set a poor precedent for other home owners in the area'. Firm in his belief it would be accepted, Mark completed the internal works in June 2020 and appealed to The Planning Inspectorate. However, in February 2021, inspector, Samuel Watson, refused the 'backland' development. He claimed homes in Walmley Ash Road mainly featured undeveloped gardens and described the bungalow as 'alien'. In November 2021, Mark was told to take the bungalow down by March 14, 2022. Mark submitted a new permitted development certificate application for a single-storey outbuilding but that has yet to be decided. He claims he was told even if permission was granted - and he was convinced it should be - he would need to pull down the original bungalow and build it again. He said: 'We were told it's got to come down by the end of June. The council is taking me to court. My ex-wife is a midwife and can't get a criminal record. The council is supposed to have done things it hasn't done. The council should look at alternative uses. 'Page 20 of its police framework document says all the things the council should do to reach a solution. One of them is negotiation. It's bullying. It wants us to knock a house down that's perfectly reasonable. From the street or a neighbour's garden, you wouldn't see anything. You can't see into windows. 'We back onto an allotment and I have offered to plant trees. There was a garage there before. The council made silly comments like it was not the right shape for the area. My dad was dying and the urgency was there. In all honesty, I wouldn't do it again.' He added: 'It's 100 per cent within permitted development certificate limits. It doesn't have separate water or internet. We don't pay separate council tax. We can't have all three utilities until we have planning permission. Every single thing has been refused by Birmingham City Council. 'I don't want to knock it down. It's a waste of time and money. If I get the permitted development certificate, we are going to sell the house with an annex. The council should have put an enforcement on me to stop me building it. If I lose, I am moving to Spain and I will take the house down. 'Ultimately, I acknowledge I am at fault. However, I believe the council also bears significant responsibility due to the initial misguidance, followed by a severe lack of communication, support, and adherence to its own procedures.' A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government technical guidance document for permitted development rights, dated September 2019, said: 'A purpose incidental to a house would not cover normal residential uses, such as separate self-contained accommodation or the use of an outbuilding for primary living accommodation such as a bedroom, bathroom, or kitchen.' Mark said the original plan for the building for his dad would still have been reliant on the main house. He said his intention was to have the building as an annexe with office or other space rather than living accommodation. A spokeswoman for Birmingham City Council said 'Mr Jones is currently in breach of the enforcement notice that was served to him in 2021, and we have given him ample time to comply with the notice by the end of June 2025. A decision will be made imminently on the lawful development certificate that Mr Jones has submitted, and a case officer will then be in contact with him to advise further.'
Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Dad who built £180k back garden bungalow for ill father has DAYS to tear it down
Mark Jones, 55, spent £180,000 on building a bungalow in the back garden of his ex-wife's home in Sutton Coldfield but he has now been ordered to have it demolished by the council A dad claims he could be made homeless and has been "bullied" by the council after being ordered to tear down a bungalow in his ex-wife's back garden over a planning wrangle. Mark Jones, 55, spent £180,000 on the building that was intended for his late father, but a neighbour complained with the work started without planning permission. He began the build in Walmley Ash Road, Sutton Coldfield, in March 2019, for his dad who died that October and Mark's daughter and her boyfriend used it during the Covid pandemic before he moved in himself. Mark had been told by a council officer that he needed planning consent after a neighbour complained. Six years on, Mark, who initially believed he could build the bungalow under permitted development rules, has less than a fortnight to meet the demolition deadline having twice been refused planning permission and lost an appeal. He told BirminghamLive: 'We thought we could do permitted development, two bedrooms and a bathroom, and a dining room/living space. It was a separate building within the permitted development size. "But a planning officer came out and said I could not continue and needed planning permission. I put in for permission but carried on building. Unfortunately, a builder left us in the lurch. We started in March 2019 and the planning officer initially came out in April 2019. 'Within two days we got a planner to redo the plans, and with the plans we put in a kitchen to make it liveable. The application was rejected late in 2019 and again in 2020. My dad died in October 2019. At the time, my daughter was training to be a paediatric nurse and moved into the bungalow with her boyfriend because of Covid. 'We had a date to have the building down by March 14, 2022. We put our head in the sand.' Mark said he initially continued building despite his planning problems because his dad was gravelly ill and he was convinced he would eventually secure consent. His first application was rejected in October 2019, the same month he lost his father, because the "siting, design, appearance and plot layout would adversely affect the established mature character of the existing residential area". The development work continued with the roof and windows completed at the end of November. A second application - also refused - was submitted that month, for the retention of the bungalow with a kitchen/dining area, two bedrooms (both approximately 12 square metres), bathroom and a store. There were three objections from residents raising parking issues, privacy and light concerns, and concerns from Walmley Ash Allotment Association. The residents said the building in a back garden was 'over-intensive', 'contrary to planning law' and would 'set a poor precedent for other home owners in the area'. Undeterred, Mark completed the internal works in June 2020 and appealed to The Planning Inspectorate. But in February 2021 inspector, Samuel Watson refused the 'backland' development. He said homes in Walmley Ash Road mainly featured undeveloped gardens and described the bungalow as 'alien'. In November 2021, Mark was told to take the bungalow down by March 14, 2022. He submitted a new permitted development certificate application for a single-storey outbuilding but that has yet to be decided. He said he was told even if it were granted, and he was convinced it should be, he would need to pull down the original bungalow and build it again. He said: 'We were told it's got to come down by the end of June. The council is taking me to court. My ex-wife is a midwife and can't get a criminal record. The council is supposed to have done things it hasn't done. The council should look at alternative uses. 'Page 20 of its police framework document says all the things the council should do to reach a solution. One of them is negotiation. It's bullying. It wants us to knock a house down that's perfectly reasonable. From the street or a neighbour's garden, you wouldn't see anything. You can't see into windows. 'We back onto an allotment and I have offered to plant trees. There was a garage there before. The council made silly comments like it was not the right shape for the area. My dad was dying and the urgency was there. In all honesty, I wouldn't do it again.' He added: 'It's 100 per cent within permitted development certificate limits. It doesn't have separate water or internet. We don't pay separate council tax. We can't have all three utilities until we have planning permission. Every single thing has been refused by Birmingham City Council. 'I don't want to knock it down. It's a waste of time and money. If I get the permitted development certificate, we are going to sell the house with an annex. The council should have put an enforcement on me to stop me building it. If I lose, I am moving to Spain and I will take the house down. 'Ultimately, I acknowledge I am at fault. However, I believe the council also bears significant responsibility due to the initial misguidance, followed by a severe lack of communication, support, and adherence to its own procedures.' A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government technical guidance document for permitted development rights, dated September 2019, said: 'A purpose incidental to a house would not cover normal residential uses, such as separate self-contained accommodation or the use of an outbuilding for primary living accommodation such as a bedroom, bathroom, or kitchen.' Mark said the original plan for the building for his dad would still have been reliant on the main house. He said his intention was to have the building as an annexe with office or other space rather than living accommodation. A spokeswoman for Birmingham City Council said 'Mr Jones is currently in breach of the enforcement notice that was served to him in 2021, and we have given him ample time to comply with the notice by the end of June 2025. A decision will be made imminently on the lawful development certificate that Mr Jones has submitted, and a case officer will then be in contact with him to advise further.'
