Glasgow woman ordered to tear down garden decking amid privacy row with neighbour

20.01.2023 - 11:19 / dailyrecord.co.uk

A Glasgow woman has been ordered to tear down her garden decking for a second time after an appeal to keep it in place was rejected by the council. Theresa McInally first built the raised decking at her home on Madison Avenue, Catchart, during a garden makeover in 2020.

But a neighbouring couple objected to the platform, claiming it overlooked a garden next door and that it was being used for "social gatherings". Ms McInally was refused permission for the structure by the local authority, before her appeal to keep it also failed, Glasgow Live reports.

The homeowner then submitted an alternative plan for a decking area around half the size and new fencing, however this was also denied. Highlighting changes made to the timber structure, Ms McInally’s agent said the area of the deck would be reduced by 50 per cent and stairs would be moved so they faced eastwards, instead of towards a neighbouring garden.

The agent said: “Given the elderly nature of the applicants, the level of the deck has remained constant as they require to be able to move easily from the family room and the kitchen to the deck with no change in level.”

However, an objection from neighbours Mr and Mrs Speirs to the latest plan said the “1.23 metre” height of the decking is “unacceptable because of the overlooking of neighbouring gardens.” They also pointed out that the “deck is used to host social gatherings.”

And this week, her second appeal was once again rejected by Glasgow City Council - as councillors agreed that reducing the size of the decking hadn't "reduced the issue" of privacy for the neighbours.

Following an appeal at Planning Local Review Committee, councillors once again rejected the plan - which means Ms McInally may be ordered to remove the