Planning Permission For Fences

It's all very well going out and buying your new fence, getting the tools and then setting it up in your garden but the real question is "Are you allowed"? There is suprisingly a lot of legislation regarding whether or not you can ahve a certain fence on your property. These legislations actually differ depending on where you live and each case has to be looked at individually.

Use the below information as a check list to ensure that your fence will become a permanent feature of your property.

Planning Permissions Regarding Fences, Walls and Gates

1. You will require planning permission for any new fence, gate or wall over 2m in height.   This will normally include the addition of trellis panels on top of an existing fence if this takes the overall height to above 2m.  This may technically also include the addition of wires and brackets to carry a climbing shrub, although this can sometimes be open to interpretation
2. You do not require planning permission to grow a thorny plant along the top of your 2m fence (providing there are no support structures over 2 metres) unless there are covenants or restrictions.  Check with your local planning authority
3. If the new fence or wall borders or adjoins a public highway used for vehicles you may need planning permission if it is higher than 1 metre
4. If you live in an area, which has open planned front gardens there is likely to be a covenant restricting the erection of any fence or hedge to the front of the dwelling and you must therefore refer to the local planning authority before you carry out any work
5. If you live in a listed building or your property borders a listed building then you may need planning permission before you carry out any work on your boundary fence or wall
6. You do not normally need planning permission to plant a hedge, but you should check with the local planning authority first as you will have responsibilities to maintain the hedge so that it does not cause a nuisance to others.  (See High hedges below)
7. Before you carry out any work on your boundaries do check with the local planning authority first to see if there are any restrictions or if you need planning permission 

Well I hope this saved you a nightmare down the road or put those worries to rest. Back again next week!

3 Ways to Prepare Your Garden for Winter

Rake your leaves

If you only do one thing to prepare, do this. Leaves will smother your grass and turn it into a dirt patch (and next spring the neighbour kids will come over to play on the new “vacant lot”). If your aches, pains and other excuses are pretty convincing then hire your local 15 year-old to do it for you so he can buy more toilet paper for your yard, oh, wait-a-minute…

You can save some of the leaves to put on your flowerbed to help prevent an early crop of weeds in the spring. When it warms up, rake, plant and you may win a prize for the best geraniums.

Fertilize 

Late fall (about a month before it usually freezes) is the best time to fertilize your lawn because it’s hungry! It’s been slurping nutrients out of the soil all summer to grow leaves and there’s not much left to eat. Fertilizing in the fall will help the roots survive hibernation and wake up quickly in the spring. A quick start in the spring will help prevent disease and weeds.

Cut your grass short

For most moist/wet climates you may want to give your grass a buzz cut before the snow flies. Generally, homeowners will mow twice in October and once in November because the grass is barely growing. Instead of skipping weeks in October, it can be better to drop the blade height one notch and mow every week until the grass is about three-fourths of an inch tall. This will prevent a build up of dead grass in the spring that may smother new growth. If you live in an arid climate (20 inches or less of rain per year) and you don’t have automatic sprinklers, skip weeks when the grass is barely growing. A moderate buildup of dead grass will help hold in ground moisture over the winter.