Do I need planning permission for a fence or wall in London?
Not if it stays within two heights. A gate, fence or wall beside a highway used by vehicles can be up to 1m above ground level, and anywhere else up to 2m. Go above either limit, or live where permitted development has been removed, and you need to apply.
Prefer to talk it through?
Which height applies to your boundary?
Part 2, Class A of the General Permitted Development Order sets both limits (GPDO 2015, Schedule 2, Part 2). A gate, fence, wall or other means of enclosure next to a highway used by vehicular traffic may not exceed 1m above ground level.
Everywhere else, including the side and rear boundaries between neighbours, the ceiling is 2m. Go over it and the structure is no longer permitted development.
Front walls and railings beside a road
The 1-metre limit catches front walls and railings on any road that carries vehicles, including a quiet residential street. A taller brick wall across the front garden is therefore a planning matter, even though the same wall at the back could be within the 2-metre limit.
The limits are written as heights above ground level, so measure from the ground and check the finished height before you order materials.
The 1-metre limit catches front walls and railings on any road that carries vehicles, including a quiet residential street.
The 2-metre line for gardens
A 2-metre fence along the back or side boundary is the common case. Anything built on top of the fence, such as trellis, adds to its height, so count it in.
The same 2-metre line applies to a wall or a gate in that position.
What removes the right altogether
An Article 4 direction can take the right away, as can a listed building or a condition on the original permission. Read our guides to Article 4 directions and conservation areas, then check your own street with the council.
Our wider glossary entry on permitted development explains how these removals work for other kinds of work.
Drawings for a fence or wall application
A fence or wall application needs a location plan, a block plan showing the boundary line, and an elevation with heights marked. Our planning drawings service prepares them. If a new vehicle access is part of the project, read the guide on driveway permission too.
Sources
Every figure on this page, where it comes from and a link to the original.
| Figure | Source | Link |
|---|---|---|
| 2m | GPDO 2015 Sch 2 Pt 2 Class A.1(b): gate, fence, wall not permitted if exceeding 2 metres above ground level (source wording: 2 metres) | www.legislation.gov.uk |
| 1m | GPDO 2015 Sch 2 Pt 2 Class A.1(a)(ii): adjacent to highway used by vehicular traffic, max 1 metre above ground level (source wording: 1 metre) | www.legislation.gov.uk |
| 1-metre | GPDO 2015 Sch2 Pt2 Class A para A.1(a): 1 metre limit adjacent to a highway used by vehicular traffic (source wording: 1 metre) | www.legislation.gov.uk |
| 2-metre | GPDO 2015 Sch 2 Pt 2 Class A para A.1(b): gate, fence, wall or enclosure not next to a vehicular highway, max height (source wording: 2 metres above ground level) | www.legislation.gov.uk |
| ≤1m | GPDO 2015 Sch 2 Pt 2 Class A para A.1(a)(ii): gate, fence, wall next to a highway used by vehicles, max height (source wording: 1 metre above ground level) | www.legislation.gov.uk |