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A retiree was outraged by her neighbour’s newly installed ‘big fence’.
Sheila Parkinson, 75, says she is “going crazy” because of the wooden structure between the two houses.
She says the 6-foot fence not only blocks her view, but also leads to higher energy costs.
Sheila, of Grove Crescent in Grimsby, says the amount of natural light in her home has been limited.
She told Grimsby Live: “There’s a fence outside my window and the daylight is reduced. When it was installed in October I sat in my bedroom and thought, ‘I don’t see anyone there”. It depresses me, if I’m being honest.
“If I hadn’t had any friends and my daughter wasn’t supportive, I think I would have gone crazy. You would have gone crazy in that house, and with the cold it is now, you can’t go out as much.
“When you sit on the sofa and look out the window, you see nothing. I am 75 years old and I am often alone and it is horrible. I have to keep the light on most of the time and I don’t like it because it consumes my electricity and it will cost me.
‘I usually go out because I think, ‘I can’t stay here all day. I usually go for a walk or go to town or something because otherwise I would go crazy. I don’t mind that there’s a big fence, but not right outside my window.
She added, “I have to go out on my player to see on the street.”
According to national building permit guidelines, households are not required to apply for a building permit if a fence that is not next to a highway is no more than two meters in height.
Therefore, the fence is not considered to violate these guidelines.
Sheila said she had contacted North East Lincolnshire Council three times about the situation and was told each time someone would come to her house to talk to her, but no visit took place. never materialized.
In response, a spokesperson for North East Lincolnshire Council delivery partner EQUANS said that “due to circumstances beyond [their] control”, a first planned visit to Sheila’s home had to be delayed.
They said: ‘This issue was first brought to our planning team’s attention on October 24 this year and there have already been discussions between the works reporter and the executing agent. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond our control, a first planned visit had to be delayed.
“However, this has now been resolved and the appropriate officer has re-established contact and a rescheduled visit has been arranged.”
Prior to publication, Sheila’s neighbor was contacted by Grimsby Live but declined to comment on the matter.
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