Homeowner ordered to remove wooden decking, pergola and fencing due to not gaining planning permission

Wooden decking blasted as an “eyesore” is set to be torn down after an investigation by local planners.

The decking, installed in the front garden of a flat in Trevethin, Wales, has been the subject of a disagreement since it was installed in 2018.

Homeowner Leon Yemm has been told he has to pull down half of the decking, along with his pergola, posts and beams, because it breaches planning permission rules.

What was built?

The decking is seven metres long and nine metres (30ft) wide with a pergola, posts, and beams also installed.

Planning permission for decking is required in some circumstances depending on the size and height.

"If you are installing decking in your garden, you may need planning permission if your decking is 30cm above ground or more, or covers more than 50% of your garden area, including any extensions or outhouses," advises Allan Jeffrey, Managing Director of Ultra Decking.

Neighbour complained it was an "environmental eyesore"

There were four comments in support of Mr Yemm’s decking, but one objector listed three complaints against it.

They claimed it was an “environmental eyesore”, that there was “nothing similar in the Trevethin area”, and even claimed it was “morally wrong to seek planning permission after the event”, despite retrospective planning being a common process.

Why was the application refused?

Due to the size and scale of the decking and pergola, planning officers refused planning permission after the fact but approved the partial retention of the decking.

A Torfaen County Borough report stated: “The area of decking proposed to be retained is much smaller than the decking that was originally built and this scheme does not include the retention of the pergola.

“The decking is proposed to extend 3.8m from the front elevation of the property, and due to the sloping nature of the land, it will be a maximum of 0.5 m higher than the original ground level.

“As the front gardens of these properties are relatively deep, the decking will be sufficiently set back from the highway so as not to appear unduly prominent within the streetscene.”