- James Barry, 67, claims his ‘life has been made a misery’ by planning officers
- Oadby and Wigston Borough Council ordered him to reduce his 6ft fence
- The council said appeal was rejected due to fence being ‘visually unappealing’
A pensioner claims his ‘life has been made a misery’ after ‘vindictive’ council chiefs ordered him to cut his front fence in half because it does not meet planning requirements.
James Barry, 67, says he put up the six foot fence outside his bungalow in Wigston, Leicestershire, to ‘feel secure and safe’ after moving into the property in February 2021.
But just weeks after putting it up, he received an enforcement notice from Oadby and Wigston Borough Council telling him that he needed retrospective planning permission.
He duly paid the £250 application fee only to be told that the fence needed to be reduced by half.
The pensioner tried to appeal the decision, but this was denied on the grounds that the height, length and prominent location of the fence was out of character for the area and ‘visually unappealing’.
James Barry, 67, says he put up a six foot fence outside his bungalow in Wigston, Leicestershire, to ‘feel secure and safe’ but council chiefs ordered him to cut it down by half
He reduced his fence, as ordered, in December 2023.
Mr Barry said he bought the bungalow in 2021 after suffering sepsis and other complications following a routine hernia operation, which left him struggling to walk and climb stairs.
But he felt the front of the property was very exposed and a large amount of rubbish was ending up in his front garden from the pavement, prompting him to think about putting up a fence.
He had noted several hedges in the area were much higher than his fence at more than 10ft high.
As a last resort, Mr Barry hung plastic ivy ‘to try and regain some element of privacy’, but he was approached again by the council to take this down.
A letter sent to the pensioner from a planning enforcement officer said: ‘I have been informed the fencing was reduced as requested but has been replaced with a screen.
‘This is not something that can be supported by the council and will also need to be removed.’
Mr Barry told LeicestershireLive: ‘Over the last three years I feel as though I have been badgered by the council and my life has been made a misery.
‘It has been a constant worry and I have had to endure many sleepless nights.
‘The strain and stress caused by the inability of the council to waiver from their ‘zero tolerance’ policy has been devastating.
‘I am a senior citizen who just wants to be left in peace and quiet.
‘I want to feel secure and safe, there have been too many burglaries in the neighbourhood and there is no police presence whatsoever.
‘I have limited income and I have had to pay for retrospective planning permission which was a waste of time, a professional to come and reduce the height of the fence and, finally, the cost of several packs of ivy netting.
‘The cost has run to hundreds of pounds, money I can ill afford to waste.
‘Everyone I know has sympathy with my position and are amazed at the stance of the council as no one has complained.
‘Some people’s opinion may even suggest that this could appear to be vindictive or even bordering on a vendetta as an explanation to the council’s stance.’
Oadby and Wigston Borough Council said the fence was out of character for the area and could have been visually unappealing for other residents
Adrian Thorpe, head of the built environment at Oadby & Wigston Borough Council, said: ‘This planning application was rejected by the borough council and then the Planning Inspectorate on appeal.
‘This was due to the height, length and prominent location of the fencing adjacent to the road, which means it is out of character for the area and can be visually unappealing for everyone else that lives and works there.
‘Natural planting or growth is very different and doesn’t have the same restrictions as a high fence or wall.
‘It’s important we have planning policies in place that protect the appearance and character of our green borough.’