A homeowner in southeast Wales has been refused planning permission for gates on his private property as they didn’t match the aesthetic of the rural area.
David Holman applied for planning permission to Monmouthshire County Council for the erection of 6ft-high gates at the front entrance of his property, inside its boundaries, in February last year.
Two months later, in April, the council refused the planning permission.
“The new gates by virtue of their design and prominent location would have a detrimental impact of the character and appearance of the existing barn and an adverse effect on the rural landscape,” the council said.
“The proposal is contrary to policies DES1 b), c), e), f) and g). LC5 and H4 a), b) and d) of the Local Development Plan.
“The proposal has failed to provide a net benefit for biodiversity and therefore contrary to Section 6.4 of Planning Policy Wales (Edition 11, 2011),” it added.
Holman, who was subsequently told to remove the gates, appealed this decision, however this was dismissed, as the “council’s concern relates to the visual impact of the development on the host dwelling/appeal site and on the wider area”.
“The design of the gates are clearly domestic in style and their height and style does not reflect the rural character of the area,” the denial said.
“The gates are adjacent to the highway at a point where they are in clear public view in a setting which is rural in character and they fail to respect the historical value of the appeal site by introducing a means of enclosure which conflicts visually with the setting.”
The gates
The gates were replacing existing five-bar gates and had already been erected with work completed in October 2021. According to the planning application, they were put up for security purposes.
They were light cast aluminum wood grain effect, oak in colour. They had slatted see-through panels and a lock. Their total length was 14ft and the posts, of which there was two, were 6.5ft high.
No trees or hedges need to be removed for the proposal to be carried out, and the planning application was not met with objections by a nearby school or the Highway Authority.
