Family told to tear down 'character eroding' fence

A family has failed in a second attempt to keep their garden fence and must now tear it down after being told it was "eroding the established character" of their town.

Monmouthshire County Council ordered the 6.5ft (1.98m) timber fence on St Lawrence Road, Chepstow, to be removed in November but the family appealed to Planning and Environment Decisions Wales.

Sophie Daly replaced a hedge with the fence between February and April last year to enhance security for her children and their dog, and said she felt the council failed to properly consider her appeal.

An independent planning inspector upheld the council's decision to refuse retrospective planning permission and rejected the application.

In her appeal, Ms Daly said: "Without the fence and gates it would not be possible for my children to play outside or for my dog to be exercised securely within our own property."

Her plea was dismissed by the inspector.

The hedge that was there previously brought complaints of littering and the discovery of "hazardous items including needles" when it was removed.

But the inspector backed the council's arguments that the fence was out of place in the town, saying: "By reason of its height, length and close-boarded form, the fence is visually dominant and incongruous in the street scene, eroding the established character of this gateway approach."

Planting a bird box and bug hotel would not make up for the loss of biodiversity caused by removing the hedge, they added.

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