Most people will not realise that if you have a wall or fence next to a road or a footpath which is alongside a road then you do need planning permission to remove it or build one if its height is above 1 metre.  There is no such requirement for a hedge. North Somerset Council having issued a useful document on "Living Fences*.

In recent times there has been an increase in the number of wooden fences which have been installed above walls especially stone walls which are a major feature of the Victorian stone town. 

This modification is changing the streetscape and the Civic Society is undertaking a campaign to improve the situation. Incidents are being reported to North Somerset Council as a breach of planning. The council enforcement team should then contact the householder. They will advise them that if they wish to keep the fence or not re-instate anything removed, they should apply for retrospective planning permission. The case would then be considered through the normal planning process. The Society has been very active over three years in reporting these as planning breaches. 78% of those in the conservation area have seen enforcement action by North Somerset Council to either remove or reduce to the legal limit. 

The Society has been very concerned over the loss of boundary stone walls. They are a major feature of the Victorian stone town and make a significant and positive contribution to the character of Weston. Walls in a Conservation Area greater than 1 metre in height need planning permission prior to demolition. However, those less than 1 metre do not. 

In February 2018 work started on developing appraisals and management plans for the new Great Weston Conservation Area which was to replace outdated documents for five areas in the town. The Society took an active role in this work with representatives of North Somerset Council, Historic England, Allies and Morrison (consultants) and others. The Society fought hard to ensure that there was a recommendation for an Article 4 Direction relating to stone walls in the new Management Plans which were published in January 2019.

The matter was subsequently raised in the regular meetings with North Somerset Council. Delays were encountered especially due to Covid, however, in August 2021, the Great Weston Conservation Area Weston-super-Mare’s Stone Walls document was published. 

Following a successful public consultation on “The Weston stone walls Article 4 Direction proposal to establish Article 4 Directions to remove permitted development rights to demolish stone walls 1 metre in height or less in the Great Weston Conservation Area" came into force on 30 September 2022.