Fences, gates and garden walls

Do you need planning permission to put up a fence?

You will not need to apply for planning permission if you wish to erect a new; or alter, maintain, improve or take down* an existing fence, wall or gate if the following conditions are met:

• in regard to its height:
  • it is next to a highway used by vehicles (or the footpath of such a highway) and it would not exceed one metre in height (from ground level); or
  • it would not exceed two metres in height (from ground level) if elsewhere; or
  • if an existing fence, wall or gate already exceeds the limits above, that its height would not be increased.
• no part of the site is a listed building or within the curtilage of a listed building.
• no part of the fence, wall, gate or any other boundary involved, forms a boundary with a neighbouring listed building or its curtilage.
• the right to put up or alter fences, walls and gates has not been removed by an article four direction or a planning condition.

If any of these conditions are not met, then you will need to apply for planning permission.

*In a conservation area, you might need permission take down a fence, wall or gate. Find out more about conservation areas and when permission may be required.

You do not need planning permission for hedges as such, though if a planning condition or a covenant restricts planting (for example, on "open plan" estates, or where a driver's sight line could be blocked) you may need planning permission and/or other consent.