Ian Buswell and his wife Bethany installed the fence around their home to keep their autistic son safe
Owen Evans Content Editor and Nathan Pynn, SWNS
07:00, 14 Feb 2026
Ian Buswell and his wife Bethany installed the fence around their home to keep their autistic son safe(Image: SWNS)
A couple have blasted “petty” council bosses after being ordered to tear down their garden fence – because it’s just 78cm (30ins) too tall. Ian Buswell and his wife Bethany installed the 5.8ft (1.78m) fence around their home in Hallow, Worcs, to keep their autistic son Louis, six, safe.
The couple say they were only replacing a 16ft (4.8m) hedge the council had previously asked them to trim down for health and safety reasons.
They decided to fork out £3,000 and erect a smaller fence around their detached home to keep it secure, before later adding a hedge bordering the main road.
But the pair were shocked to receive a letter in September demanding they submit planning application for their new fence – following just one complaint.
Malvern Hills District Council then rejected the plans and two appeals on the grounds the unfinished fencing was 78cm too high and didn’t fit in with Hallow’s “village-like character”. Make sure you never miss Wales’ biggest updates by getting our daily newsletter
Ian Buswell and his wife Bethany installed the fence around their home to keep their autistic son safe
Mum-of-two Bethany, 38, said: “We bought the house in April 2024 and we didn’t move in until the end of August due to renovations.
“During that time we’d been approached by highways and the local parish council to ask us to support in cutting back the hedge as it was encroaching onto the pavement.
“It just took up the whole view, the car bonnet was on the road before you could see up the road it was that thick.
“It was 15 or 16ft high, we were simply taking something down and replacing it with a 6ft fence. We thought we were doing them a favour.
“Because the pathway was so narrow on the front, it was for the safety of the school children, too, as they were brushing up against it.
“Removing it also helped us exit the property safely.
The fence
“But when we got the materials for the fence, a man from the parish council said we couldn’t put a fence there, and he said we need planning permission for it.
“We brought the fence back a metre-and-a-half, he came back a few days later and said the council had a meeting and said we could do it.
“But now that doesn’t appear the case and it all seems rather petty.”
The couples son’s autism mean he has a tendency to climb and bolt towards the busy road.
The 6ft fence has been designed without easy to climb horizontal slats, making any such escape more difficult.
The fence(Image: SWNS)
Bethany, who works for West Mercia Police as a finance analyst, added: “The need for the height was for my son.
“Our son has got onto the road twice in 18 months. We’ve strategically designed the back of the fence so that he can’t climb up it.
“We’re so fortunate each time he’s got out the car has stopped, he thinks it’s funny because he has ADHD. That’s the issue.
“I just want my son to play outside this summer without risking him. That’s our main drive.
“We bought this house as our forever home, we’ve moved into this village. If I can’t secure the property, I can’t theoretically live here.
“We need the children to play in the garden – they’re just kids.
“There’s a small gap on the side of our property that he’s managed to creep out of before, so it’s essential he can’t climb up it or get through it. A metre high fence wouldn’t stop him.
“Because the pathway was so narrow, it was also for the safety of the school children. Neighbours have thanked us as the kids were struggling to get by.
“Everyone other than the council has been extremely pleased with what we’ve done.”
Ian Buswell and his wife Bethany installed the fence around their home to keep their autistic son safe
In the most recent application dismissal on February 9, the council claimed the main issue is the “character and appeal” of the property.
It claims the “village-like character” would be impacted by the fence, and says that although there are similar sized fences elsewhere in the village, the couple’s border is “prominent in the street scene”.
Ian, 66, who runs a car dealership in the village, added: “They haven’t given us chance to finish it, it just looks like brand new timber on the front of the house.
“Had we been allowed to finish it with the hedge in front of it, I’m sure no one would have complained.
“There are numerous other houses with this height in wooden fences. There’s about seven of them.
“Villagers have said it’s safer for them and it’s safer for us. One person has made a complaint and it’s caused this.
“We said we will take the hedge away. We put a fence 1.5 metres back from our boundary so there is ample room.
“I didn’t see that we were contravening any planning or anything like that.
“It’s cost us a lot of money to put this fence up.
“I don’t understand why we need to tear it down if we’re doing something to make everyone’s safety so much better.”
A spokesperson for Malvern Hills District Council said it could not comment in detail as it is a live planning enforcement investigation.
Get daily breaking news updates on your phone by joining our WhatsApp community here. We occasionally treat members to special offers, promotions and ads from us and our partners. See our Privacy Notice
Comments are closed.