Letchworth Garden City homeowners have been made aware of companies who wrongly tell them they can pave over their front gardens without needing the Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation’s permission.
The town’s design principles, used to help protect the character of the garden city, mean most homes are restricted to no more than 50% hardstanding in their front gardens. Any more can quickly ruin the leafy look of the town, as well as causing drainage problems.
However companies have been knocking on doors telling homeowners they do not require consent for additional work, breaching the principles, which can mean homeowners face the possibility of legal action being taken against them.
Chris Shipman, estate development officer for the foundation’s heritage advisory team, said: “If you are thinking of adding or replacing hardsurfacing or even artificial grass on your front garden, please do check with us first. It’s a Garden City and we need to protect its appearance. Excessive hard surfacing can also lead to problems with rainwater drainage.
“I’ve seen 22 cases in the last year which have been recently completed or in progress without approval. In some of these cases, homeowners now face expensive remedial work, to restore a more acceptable appearance while others face the possibility of enforcement action.”
Comments