Fencing in Altofts
A good fence is one you stop noticing: it stands straight, keeps the dog in and the wind off the patio, and gives you some privacy. Affordable Gardens & Landscapes is a family run, fully insured business based in Knottingley, and we take on fencing across Altofts for homes and commercial customers, whether that means a new boundary, replacing a tired run of panels or putting back a section the wind has taken. Here is what is worth knowing before a fence goes up in the village.
How high can it be?
The Planning Portal sets out the limits. Without planning permission, a fence, wall or gate beside a road used by vehicles, or the footpath next to it, can be no more than one metre high, and elsewhere the limit is two metres, both measured from ground level. An existing fence that is already over those heights should not be made taller. In Altofts, that is worth thinking about on front gardens and corner plots along Wakefield Road, Church Road, Lock Lane or Greenfield Road, where a privacy fence at full height right next to the pavement would need permission. A lower front fence, with the taller panels kept to the back and sides, avoids the question altogether.
Newer homes and open-plan fronts
New housing is still being planned here: in January 2024, Avant Homes West Yorkshire submitted plans for 83 homes on a six-acre site off Wharfedale Drive. Newer developments sometimes come with conditions that owners only discover when they want to change a boundary. The Planning Portal notes that a planning condition or an Article 4 direction can remove the usual right to put up or alter fences, walls and gates, and it gives open-plan estates as an example of where a condition or covenant can even restrict planting a hedge. If your front garden is open to the street and you want to enclose it, check your deeds and the planning history with Wakefield Council first.
Terraced gardens in Lower Altofts
Fencing a terraced garden, such as those on Pope Street, is a different job from fencing a detached plot. Posts and panels usually have to come through the house or along a back passage, so measuring the access is part of pricing the work up properly. Both side boundaries are shared, so it is worth agreeing with both neighbours which side the posts will sit and which way the smooth face will turn. And in a narrow garden, a full-height solid fence on every side can make the space feel boxed in. A slightly lower fence topped with trellis, or slatted panels that let light through, can keep your privacy without the gloom. You can talk through options like these at the visit.
Boundaries next to fields and water
Experience Wakefield describes Altofts as surrounded by countryside and waterways, with the River Calder and the Aire and Calder Navigation close by. A garden that backs onto open ground faces different demands from one surrounded by other gardens. The wind has a clear run at it, so the strength of the posts and how firmly they are set matter more than the panels in between. Rabbits, foxes or a neighbour's dog may be the reason for the fence in the first place, in which case gaps under the bottom need closing, often with gravel boards. And where a hedge already forms part of the boundary, a fence can run inside it rather than replace it, keeping the hedge for birds while giving you a secure line.
Choosing posts and panels
The posts carry the load, so that is where the conversation usually starts. Timber posts look natural and are easy to adapt to awkward ground. Concrete posts with gravel boards are another option that some people choose for a long life in wet soil. For the fence itself, ready-made panels are quick to put up, while closeboard fencing, built on site from overlapping vertical boards, is often chosen for exposed boundaries. Your garden, how exposed it is and how long you want the fence to last all feed into the choice, and you can weigh them up with us on site.
Gates and side access
A side gate can matter as much as the fence. It keeps the back garden secure and gives a way in for bins, bikes and the mower. It is worth thinking about width, which way it opens and where the latch sits before anything is ordered. Gate posts also need to be sturdier than fence posts, because the gate hangs its whole weight from them every time it swings.
What happens next
At the visit we walk the boundary with you, look at the ground, the access and what is there now, and talk through the type of fence, posts and any gates. If the line is buried under brambles, a garden clearance in Altofts can come first. A new fence often sets off a wider change, so if you are thinking about a patio, path or new lawn alongside it, see landscaping in Altofts. The main fencing page has more about the service, and the Altofts page lists everything we do in the village. For a quote, call 07347 572509, Monday to Friday between 9am and 6pm.
