Boundary Wall - Help!

Miss_InCogNito

Hi all,

I'm just after purchasing a semi-detached house and the only issue that i have with it is the back-garden boundary wall, which is too low. It's about 5ft in height (concrete blocks) and i would like it about 7-8ft in height.
Does anyone know if i need to get permission to build it up or can i just go ahead with building it? Part of it is already built up to the 7/8ft height so it looks to me as though it was semi-completed! so essentially i would just be finishing the job.
The next door neighbours are renters and i don't ever see the landlord of the house.
Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

conorhal

Miss_InCogNito wrote: »

Hi all,

I'm just after purchasing a semi-detached house and the only issue that i have with it is the back-garden boundary wall, which is too low. It's about 5ft in height (concrete blocks) and i would like it about 7-8ft in height.
Does anyone know if i need to get permission to build it up or can i just go ahead with building it? Part of it is already built up to the 7/8ft height so it looks to me as though it was semi-completed! so essentially i would just be finishing the job.
The next door neighbours are renters and i don't ever see the landlord of the house.
Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

As it's a boundry wall, you only own half of it and consequently you would absolutely need the owners permission to raise it, and I'd make sure I got it too, such actions are the things that bitter lawsuits between neighbours are made of! Mind you he may have no objection at all.
As to it's current height, 5ft is the minimum required by planning law for a boundry wall, so it sounds as if the builder did the bare minimum bit of block laying that he was required to, however there are maxiumum hights that you are not allowed to exceed, so planning permission may be necessary to raise the wall to 8ft, I'd check it out with my local CoCo if I were you.

Alan_P

conorhal wrote: »

As it's a boundry wall, you only own half of it and consequently you would absolutely need the owners permission to raise it, and I'd make sure I got it too, such actions are the things that bitter lawsuits between neighbours are made of! Mind you he may have no objection at all.
As to it's current height, 5ft is the minimum required by planning law for a boundry wall, so it sounds as if the builder did the bare minimum bit of block laying that he was required to, however there are maxiumum hights that you are not allowed to exceed, so planning permission may be necessary to raise the wall to 8ft, I'd check it out with my local CoCo if I were you.

What planning legislation dictates a minimum of 5 feet for a boundary wall ?

It 's certainly the case that the maximum height you can build a wall to,without planning permission, is 2 metres, if the wall is to the rear or side of your house.
(The maximum height without PP to the front of your house is 1.2 metres).

See for example Waterford County Council FAQ :-
http://www.waterfordcoco.ie/services/planning/faqs/exempteddevelopment/#Can%20I%20erect%20walls,%20fences%20and%20gates%20around%20my%20house?

So if you want to go as high as 8 feet, you will need planning permission, unless there's already a planning permission in place that will allow you to do so.

It's possible for example that the original planning permission for the house specified 8 foot rear walls, and that permission could still be valid depending on how recently the house was built.

That's something the solicitor who acted for you in the house sale could check for you.

ShadowHearth

buy wooden fence, put it on your side of the yard = profit