Corner Garden Hedge - Planning Declined

[User2345]

Hi all

 

I'm looking for some advice about hedging and visibility issues. I live on a corner plot and have a large garden at the side of the house that is effectively part of the front garden. There's a poor condition boundary wall in place from the garage to the house to contain the back garden. I'd like to expand the back garden much more by taking down this wall and enclosing part of the side garden. 

 

There's a footpath and road that runs next to the side garden and round to the front of the house. 

 

I applied for planning permission for a 1.8m fence to be 50cm away from the footpath. A few people in the area already have these fences in place. The application was rejected by the planners, they've said a fence here will obscure visibility for vehicles and pedestrians, as well as any cars pulling out of our driveway. They've also said it's not in keeping with the local area.

 

I'd like to expand the garden anyway but likely move the enclosure in slightly so that there is still visibility for people driving/walking round the corner. I'm considering putting in a laurel hedge (150cm height initially and will grow this so we have more privacy) a metre back from the pavement but before I spend the money on this - is there any come back from the council/planners for putting a hedge in? Can they tell me to move this if it impacts visibility or to reduce the size?

 

There will still be some visibility round the corner but it will be reduced a fair amount but they shouldn't need to see over my garden to drive safely! It's a 30mph zone in a cul-de-sac and generally cars park on one side of the road, so the most people should be going is 20mph.

 

Does anyone have any thoughts?

 

Thanks!!

 

Amazingly drawn outline for clarity: 

 

[ETC]

Why don’t you just ask the planners for the location and dimensions of the visibility splay and speak to the. About what you can actually build with and without planning consent.

 

I would suspect that if there is a need to maintain visibility splays they will have certain dimensions including a maximum height for anything placed within the splay. Where I am you cannot place anything higher than 250mm within a visibility splay.

[ProDave]

At a junction, or house driveway exit, you need visibility from a point 2.4 metres back from the road edge to the road surface a certain distance along (distance depends on speed limit of road)

 

So work on the basis you need to leave 2.4 metres all round the garden for visibility.  Would that give you enough enclosed garden?

 

If you are doing this with hedges, you don't seek planning permission, you plant a hedge and wait as it grows to see if anyone complains.  

 

The planning law on fences is now open to so much interpretation.  In the old days anything between the house and the road would need PP.  Now a fence over 2M only needs planning if "adjacent" to the road which is very subjective.

 

If I really wanted a fence, I would just put it where I wanted it, leaving a space between the fence and the road for visibility, and if you do get enforcement action, then it is not going to cost you much to move it back further.

 

In line with the corner of your garage and parallel to the house wall would be a good starting point.  Squaring it off like that would probably double the area of enclosed side garden. The fence would go from the corner of the garage to about where your sketch shows the hedge changing angle.  I bet that is more than 2.4M at that point.  and it would leave an area outside the fenced garden next to the drive that would be easy to turn into additional parking if you ever needed more parking (all the parking on the road suggests that would be a good idea)

 

EDIT:  The blue shows where I would put the fence.