Party boundary wall?

[dormermike]

Hello

New neighbours have appointed a fencing contractor to build a 2m high trellis fence and are attaching it to their side of the shared garden wall. This fence will run to the pavement, and aesthetically is out of keeping with the other properties on the road where all the other garden fences run to the front of the buildings not the front line of the front gardens.

Is there any rule about attaching fencing to a shared garden wall? I'm concerned the fence will act as a sail and pull the wall over eventually though I guess trellis helps in that regard.

Neighbours are away btw, so haven't spoken to them nor did they tell us they were doing this.

Thanks

 

[Murdochcat]

Speak to your local planning department BUT I would say that anything over 1 m could be an issue

 

[dormermike]

Thanks, good idea. Phoned them and they said nobody there to help by telephone but to send an email, which I've done.

Regarding fixing to the wall itself, does anyone know if permission from the joint owner is needed?

Luckily the wall itself is in good condition but it's under a metre high, seems like a bad idea to attach a fence.

 

[^woody^]

Are you a joint owner, or do you just share the wall? If a bit of pointing needed repairing on the neighbour's side, would you contribute to that repair? Can you paint one side without the neighbour's permission?

Is it a party fence wall under the PW Act? If it is, drilling and fixing to it is permitted without permission of the other party.

 

[dormermike]

Hi Woody thanks, honestly, all I know is from when I moved here over 10 years ago the solicitor said there is no indication on the deeds as to who owns the wall so it's shared. Not sure how that relates to your question. If it needed rebuilding I'd contribute. Not sure about pointing, as if my side needed pointing I'd just get it done.

 

[^woody^]

The deeds are not a definitive way of determining ownership. Unless something is stated, they may at best state responsibility for maintaining but not ownership.

A shared wall is a very vague concept legally

 

[dormermike]

Understood, thanks again.