Man told to remove £4,000 gate ‘because it’s too smart for countryside’
The homeowner installed the gates after he was verbally abused by a stranger.
A homeowner in Wales has been ordered to rip out the gates to his luxury barn conversion after angering neighbours.
David Holman spent £4,000 installing the aluminium entrance to his property in Croesyceiliog, Monmouthshire, to feel more secure after he was verbally abused by a stranger.
The modern 6ft gates boast a ‘high quality’ wood grain effect on the entrance to his dream countryside home called Little Cider Mill Barn.
But the 53-year-old has since been told they do not ‘reflect the rural character of the area’, Wales Online reported.
Planning officials from Monmouthshire County Council have now ordered him to tear the gates down.
‘We were totally unaware that planning would be needed as the gates were within the boundary of our property,’ Mr Holman said.
‘The gates that we chose we thought would be the best fit and were able to be installed the fastest.’
The businessman moved to the rural barn back in 2019 to enjoy a quiet life with his partner and three dogs, but it was not all that he imagined.
Mr Holman told planners he installed the security barriers in a ‘knee jerk reaction’ after he was confronted by a stranger outside his home in March 2021.
He said the man had shouted, ‘You do not like people looking into your property do you?’ or ‘pulling up on the communal drive?’
But planning inspector Janine Townsley stressed that protecting the rural setting of the roadside was more important than his security measures.
The report said: ‘Matters such as neighbour disputes and references to the police do not fall to be considered by me as part of my assessment of the merits of the scheme before me.
‘Whilst I have taken into account the appellant’s desire for additional security at his home, this consideration does not outweigh the harm caused to the character and appearance of the rural setting by the driveway gates which have been installed.’
Ms Townsley added: ‘I accept that the appellant has chosen high quality gates, but the design of the gates are domestic in style and their height and style does not reflect the rural character of the area.
‘I appreciate that appeal site is in residential use, however the dwelling retains a barn like appearance.
‘The gates are adjacent to the highway at a point where they are in clear public view in a setting which is rural in character and they fail to respect the historical value of the appeal site by introducing a means of enclosure which conflicts visually with the setting.’
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