A RETIRED couple have been ordered to tear down a £4,500 fence they put up to stop nosey neighbours peering into their garden.
David and Denise Hopwood splashed out on the seven-foot-high barrier in a bid to enjoy some privacy at their home.
But after a complaint from a petty neighbour, planning bosses ruled the towering grey fence must go.
The couple, from Bolton, had installed the 25-metre-long fence to replace an old hedge that had become too much to handle.
David, 67, and Denise, 66, say the nine-foot-high hedge was costing them around £800 a year to maintain.
And with both suffering from arthritis, they said the upkeep had become impossible.
The new fence — with gravel boards and a one-foot decorative trellis — was meant to be a low-maintenance solution.
But the pair were forced to apply for retrospective planning permission after a neighbour complained about its height.
Last year, planners rejected the application, claiming the structure clashed with the “character and appearance” of the area.
The couple appealed the decision — but following a site visit last month, the council has now doubled down.
Officials listed five reasons for refusing the appeal, saying the fence’s location, colour, materials and size made it a “discordant and strident feature in the street scene”.
David said the ruling had left the couple feeling unfairly targeted.
He said: “We both have arthritis and the hedge was out of control — we weren’t able to look after it.
“We put the fence up for privacy and security, and because it’s much easier to maintain.”
He added: “I feel we’ve been hard done by saying it doesn’t fit with the street scene — there isn’t one size that fits all here.
“They seem to be focused on the colour and the type but there’s already a mix on the street.
“The colour is our choice. I don’t understand why it’s an issue.
“There’s a jet black one across the road and a number of brick ones. I feel like we’ve been picked on.”
Before installing the fence, the couple say they even resorted to pegging blankets on their washing line to stop passers-by looking into their home.
The property sits on the corner of Plodder Lane and Duchy Avenue, opposite open fields and countryside.
Planning inspectors said homes in the area usually have open frontages with low walls, timber fences or hedges.
They ruled the 2.1-metre-high fence was “very prominent” and looked out of place along Plodder Lane.
The report also said the black composite panels “starkly contrast” with the red brick of the house and nearby walls.
The Hopwoods say they have not yet received an enforcement notice — but fear it could soon force them to rip the fence down.
David said: “The whole ordeal has been very stressful.
“Hopefully they’ll just ask us to change the colour rather than replace the whole thing.”
The Sun has approached Bolton Council for comment.
