A couple say they are being 'unfairly penalised' after the council ordered them to half the height of their £10,000 garden fence. Susan Paul, 53, and her partner Andrew Doyle, 58, put up the fence outside their £280,000 property to replace an overgrown hedge back in January 2020.
However, Wiltshire council has now issued an enforcement notice which states that the two metre tall border must be cut down by 50 per cent, according to the Mirror. The couple, from Amesbury, have until mid-March to adjust the height of the 164ft long fence - and could face legal proceedings if they disobey the order.
But former RAF workers Susan and Paul say they are being unfairly targeted by the council, as 'nothing has happened’ to the owners of several other fences on their street, which they say are exactly the same height. Susan said: "It replaced an overgrown hedge which was leaning over a path, stopping wheelchairs and mums with prams using it.
"It’s such an injustice, we were just really surprised. Other people have exactly the same type of fence as we’ve got, so why are we being punished?
"We are being unfairly penalised, it’s madness. And we are worried about being able to afford the work in this age of austerity."
The fence is made of close-boarded wood and stretches along both sides of their boundary facing the road, on a street corner. It is believed that the council issued the order to have it's height reduced after being contacted by a whistleblower, but aircraft engineer Andrew wants to know why no enforcement action had been taken against other householders with similar fences.
He said: "We replaced the hedge with the fence, unaware of the need for planning permission until we suddenly had a letter out of the blue from Wiltshire Council who came after us. Now we have to cut it down by a half – we have to cut it down to one metre high.
"But several fences in the road are exactly the same height, but nothing has happened about them. It’s the loss of the privacy that I’m worried about. It’s crazy because I could put a hedge back in and let it get as big as I like.
"The old hedge was 8ft high and 6ft wide and filthy because people used to throw rubbish in it. It's such an injustice."
The couple submitted a retrospective planning application to retain the fence, however this was rejected by the council. Now a Government planning inspector has dismissed the couple's appeal against an enforcement notice, giving them just a few months to cut the fence in two.
Susan said they were stunned when their application denied and that they though it would 'just be a paperwork exercise'.
In his ruling, the inspector said: "Other examples of conspicuous fencing are no compelling reason to accept the fencing the subject of the deemed planning application." Should we receive any formal reports of any issues with other fences in the area, then we will investigate these in line with our normal processes and take appropriate action if required."
The couple have now reluctantly agreed to adjust the fence, with Andrew saying "We are law abiding citizens, if they order is to reduce it then we will have to."
However, they are worried about being able to afford the work amid the ongoing cost of living crisis.
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