Neighbours were left baffled after a council installed a huge garden fence across a living room window. A large wooden fence, placed just centimetres away from a new-build house in Bristol, completely obscured the view from inside. After being mocked by neighbours and people online, the wooden panels have been taken down and replaced with black metal railings.
Fence Removal and Replacement
Construction workers were seen putting up the new railings this week at the currently unoccupied home in Lockleaze. Bristol City Council confirmed it owns the property and said the fence was initially installed due to a "significant drop" between the driveway and the side of the house. A worker said: "Obviously the fence did look hideous and blocked 90 per cent of the sunlight going in. I think because of the views it had online, it was just decided that it needed to come down and something else put back in its place."
Social Media Reaction
The wooden fence, erected in May, was meant to protect and separate the house from a parking area. However, thousands took to social media to mock the fence on a local community page. One wrote: "Oh my goodness that is beyond stupid!" Another said: "This is ridiculous, surely the person who put that up must have questioned it? They must have some common sense." A third commented: "I would pull that right down. It sounds like daylight robbery to me!"
Neighbourhood Opinions
One neighbour, a builder, said the previous fence was "stupid" and that he couldn't work it out. Some residents believed the installation was intended to prevent children from falling in the gap between the car parking area and the front of the house. Another neighbour said they thought it was "health and safety gone a bit mad" and that it looked ridiculous. Another resident said they wondered if the fence was intentional, noting it was "a bit strange."
One neighbour commented that the new metal railing looked "much better" and that with the wood, new residents wouldn't be able to see anything. A spokesperson for Bristol City Council said: "We can confirm the property is owned by Bristol City Council. The fence was initially installed due to the significant drop between the drive and the side of the house – a barrier was therefore required for health and safety reasons. The fence was replaced with the black railings to reduce the visual impact on residents."
The house has been empty for seven months, but the council is now in the process of purchasing it and renovating the property.
