Of late, I've been considering the ideal streetscape - or as council puts it, a frontage that promotes neighbourly interaction, has an agreeable aspect, and boasts climate-friendly vegetation - and I've come to the conclusion that council have got a point when they dictate what can and can't be done. Communities aren't birthed from 2m high screen fences and wrought-iron gates.
But what if you have a bedroom with French doors giving onto your meagre 'front patch'? Are you to be eternally exposed?
Many folk must be living this and it would be interesting to hear from them. Do they ever wish that they could throw open their doors and windows on a weekend without being observed by the passer-by? What is more important, bedroom privacy or neighbourly affability?
We have been fenceless for so long now that with the approval of the front fence, I am suddenly baulking at any restrictions there may be... to see and be seen.
It works the other way too and neighbours from hell exist on most streets. Ironically I have been up against this in the past and wished for exactly what I am decrying now - 2m high screen soundproof fences with razor wire at the top!
My council stipulates that front fences have permeable fencing, thus preventing your house from appearing too prison-like and allowing a visual field through which to see pedestrians and neighbours as well as traffic. Though often dispensed with due to factors like vehicle headlight disturbance on main roads, this too makes sense, encouraging a feeling of neighbourhood cohesiveness.
How much activity do you see of a day at the front of a house? So many outdoor areas have moved to the privacy of the back garden that it is worth considering how nice, yet how rare, it can be to see those living nearby. An old lady living opposite us sweeps her front drive for many hours a week. Though she is fulfilling a chore, she also gets a chance to be a part of other people's daily life - including my kids who stop for a chat or a hug on the way to school - for the minute she goes back to the house she is locked away behind a front wall that is well over human height, effectively cutting her off from the aspect she needs to feel a part of the community.
I think that it boils down to getting the best of both worlds. A little protection and privacy with a reasonably sized front fence. After all, you have to give the neighbours something to talk about...