Do You Need Planning Permission for Fences, Walls, or Gates?

Considering a new fence, wall, or gate for your property? Or perhaps you're looking to modify, maintain, or even remove an existing one? The good news is that you typically won't need planning permission for these projects, provided your plans meet specific criteria.

You can usually proceed without applying for permission if all of the following conditions are met:

• Height Limits:

  Be mindful of how tall your structure can be:

  • If your fence, wall, or gate is alongside a road used by vehicles (including its footpath), its height must not go over one metre, measured from the ground.

  • For any other spot, it shouldn't be taller than two metres, also measured from the ground.

  • Important: If an existing structure already stands taller than these limits, you are not permitted to increase its current height.

• Listed Buildings on Your Property:

  Your property must not contain a listed building itself, nor should it fall within the designated area (or 'curtilage') of a listed building.

• Boundaries with Listed Buildings:

  No part of your proposed fence, wall, gate, or property boundary should border a neighbouring listed building or its curtilage.

• Local Restrictions:

  Your rights to build or change fences, walls, and gates must not have been restricted by a local 'Article 4 Direction' (where the council removes certain automatic planning rights in a specific area) or by a specific planning condition.

If your project doesn't satisfy any of these points, then you will definitely need to apply for formal planning permission.

Important Considerations to Keep in Mind

• Conservation Areas:

  If your property is located within a conservation area, please note that you might actually need special consent to remove an existing fence, wall, or gate.

• Hedges:

  Good news: you typically won't need planning permission to plant hedges. But there's a catch: if a particular planning condition or a legal agreement (known as a 'covenant') on your property restricts planting – perhaps because you live on an 'open plan' estate or if the hedge might block a driver's view – then you could still require planning permission or another form of approval.