Large Timber Fence Without Planning Permission Described as “Abomination” by Councillors

A LARGE timber fence beside a house where it’s planned to build a new home in the garden has been described as an “abomination”. 
Councillors were asked to approve an outline application for a two bedroom house on the small plot of land behind the corner terrace house when one said she thought neighbours must be “put out” by the fence that doesn’t have planning permission. 
Conservative Jan Butler told the committee she was pleased the application will also include a new fence and said: “I’m very glad the close boarded fence is being considered, that is an abomination frankly. I think the neighbours must be quite put out by that.” 
The councillor said other fences along Woodland View and Grenville Terrace, in Rogiet, are “very low at the front” but called the one she had taken exception to as “pretty appalling”. 
Monmouthshire council planning officer Phil Thomas confirmed the fence doesn’t have planning permission but a condition will require it to be reduced in height before work starts. He said a fence more than one metre high in the location requires planning permission and the council has the ability to take enforcement action if necessary. 
Mr Thomas said as well as a new fence the application would also provide two off street parking spaces for the existing home, at 1 Woodland View, which would also have to be provided before construction work starts. 
The small grassed area, which is 17 metres long and 7.4m wide, where the new house is to be built will also have enough room for two parking spaces and a small garden area. Mr Thomas said the proposals had to be considered against the council’s supplementary planning guidance, issued in 2019, on “infill development”. 
As the application is for outline permission all details will be considered at a later stage as part of a reserved matters application but Mr Thomas said the maximum parameters for the house will be 8.4m from back to front, 5.6m wide and 7.3m high, which he said is comparable to other roof heights in the area. 
Rogiet Community Council and residents had objected due to increased traffic and parking but Mr Thomas said there was no objection from the highways department and a construction traffic management plan would also be required. 
He said by providing two new off street parking spaces for 1 Woodland View the application would “benefit highway manoeuvres and parking stress.” 
Independent councillor Meirion Howells asked if the new house would have a Woodland View address or Grenville Terrace which is where the access for the parking spaces would be. 
Mr Thomas said that would be decided by the street naming and numbering team.
The application was approved with 10 councillors voting in favour while Dewstow councillor Tony Easson abstained as he said he knew one of the neighbours. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

By BBC LDRS ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​