Councillors have come off the fence in a neighbours’ row which has upset a rural Angus hamlet.
The development standards committee has said it is happy with a 1.6m high steel fence around the boundary of Skyview in the centre of Balkeerie, approving a retrospective application for the decorative design.
Householder Steve Wilkie’s application came before the committee after a string of letters of objections criticising the fence, which the applicant’s planning agent said had been submitted by “malevolent individuals”.
Among the concerns raised in the letters of objection were that the fence was out of character and scale and created an undesirable visual impact and precedent.
Planning officials said they did not agree with the key issue of the fence being unsympathetic to the character of the surrounding area, and the committee also heard that beech hedge planting has already been put in which will be higher than the fence.
The planning report added: “The objectors suggest that the fence is detrimental to the safe use of the adjoining track but road safety has been considered by the roads service who have not raised any objections to the proposal.”
On the question of precedent the officials said: “There are already a variety of boundary treatments in the village and each application would be treated on its own merits. The fence is not particularly visible from the public road.”
Planning agent Fraser Middleton said his clients had found themselves under fire from neighbours “over a long period of time”.
“Malevolent individuals attack everything that we try to do to the site. This is not a planning thing, it’s an ongoing situation between neighbours,” he added.
“This is not a fence you could say is particularly obtrusive and once the hedge reaches maturity you will not be able to see the fence. A legal requirement of the planning permission for this property was for a stock-proof fence to be put up and the hedge planting has been done in the first growing season, in accordance with the condition set.
“These individuals have taken it upon themselves to stir things up,” he told the committee.
Councillors unanimously approved the retrospective application and committee convener Rob Murray said: “I am satisfied that any impact of this fence will be mitigated by the planting.”