A mother has been ordered to tear down her £4,000 fence – despite not a single neighbour complaining.
Sophie Daly, 45, erected the two-metre tall barrier near Chepstow, South Wales to increase the safety of her two children and Rhodesian Ridgeback dog.
She applied retrospectively for planning permission after initially being told she did not need it – but was handed an ultimatum by council bosses who argued it caused ‘unacceptable harm to the visual amenity and open character of the area’.
This was despite no locals submitting objections and Ms Daly claiming the fence looked better than the hedge which stood before and would shelter her ears from the noisy A48.
Indeed, the Welsh Government, Highway Authority and Chepstow Town Council had no issue with the structure.
But Monmouthshire Council officers soon turned up to inspect the fence and told Ms Daly and her painter-decorator husband they needed planning permission.
Conservative councillor Rachel Buckler has maintained the fence is ‘detrimental’ to the area, adding: ‘In my mind the hedge was better.’
Mother-of-five Ms Daly said: ‘It’s very frustrating – most people around here think the fence has improved the area.
A mother has been ordered to tear down her £4,000 fence, pictured, despite not a single neighbour complaining
Sophie Daly, pictured, erected the two-metre tall barrier near Chepstow to increase the safety and protection of her two children and dog
‘I was forever picking empty beer cans and paper bags from Greggs out of the hedge which had lost most of its leaves and was at the end of its days.
‘When the fence went up some local people called by asking who the contractors were, they were so impressed. Everyone was happy until Monmouth Council turned up.’
Ms Daly said she regrets not checking whether she needed planning permission but was advised it was okay because the fence is less than 6ft high.
She said: ‘I was stunned when the council told us to take it down, I do feel that we’ve been completely discriminated against.
‘There are lots of properties around us that have similar and even higher fences. We will have no privacy without the fence.’
Sophie, who has lived at the three-bedroom property for six years, is prepared to paint the fence green and plans to install a bird box and ‘bug hotel’ to encourage nature into her garden.
No neighbours objected to the new fence, with those nextdoor backing Ms Daly’s application and saying ‘they enjoy seeing the new well-kept addition’, dubbing it ‘modern but respectable’.
Fellow Tory Councillor Paul Pavia supported Ms Daly and argued the fence offered ‘protection from one of Chepstow’s busiest roads’.
Pictured: the house before the fence. A councillor said she preferred the hedge which stood before
He added: ‘It is very near the infamous Highbeech roundabout. It is not a rural lane but a noisy, polluted urban corridor.’
Planning officers from Monmouthshire Council disagreed, arguing the fence was in a ‘prominent location’ at a gateway to the town.
Planning officer Philip Thomas added the house is on a ‘visually prominent entrance to Chepstow’.
Independent member Emma Bryn said approving the fence could ‘set a precedent’ with ‘a really negative effect on the environment of Chepstow’.
The council committee was advised to reject the application due to insufficient ‘appropriate ecological mitigation or compensation’ for the removed hedge.
Ms Daly and her husband have 12 weeks to appeal the decision and have written to their Labour MP Catherine Fookes for advice and support.
