Most fence enquiries in North Birmingham are replacements. A 15 to 25 metre back fence on an interwar estate plot in Kingstanding, Perry Common or Pype Hayes has been patched after a few windy winters and is now leaning on its neighbour. Corner houses in Great Barr and Kingstanding want more privacy down the side garden next to the road.
The patch is mostly free of extra planning controls, which keeps things simple. The exceptions are on the Walsall side of Great Barr, where an Article 4 direction covers fences and gates, and on corner plots, where the road-side height limit applies.
Ground and Gate doesn't do the work. We pass your enquiry to one local fencing specialist who covers B6, B20, B23, B24, B42, B43 and B44, and they confirm a fixed price with you directly.
What a new fence costs in North Birmingham
Rates are per metre, supply and fit, waste included, indicative for the West Midlands.
| Style | Under 1m | About 1.2m | About 1.8m |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overlap panels | £36–£54 | £48–£72 | £60–£90 |
| Featheredge / closeboard | £57–£81 | £76–£108 | £95–£135 |
| Slatted / contemporary | £78–£114 | £104–£152 | £130–£190 |
| Post and rail | £24–£39 | £32–£52 | £40–£65 |
| Extra | Per metre |
|---|---|
| Concrete posts instead of timber | about £10 |
| Removing and taking away the old fence | £8–£15 |
A typical estate job here is 20 metres of 1.8m overlap panels on concrete posts with the old fence taken away. From the table, that comes to about £1,560 to £2,300. Featheredge on the same run would be about £2,260 to £3,200. The smallest jobs start at about £420. The fence cost per metre guide has more worked examples.
What pushes the price up here
- Carrying everything through. On Victorian terraces in Erdington, Stockland Green and Aston, panels, posts and concrete often go through a narrow shared entry or the house. That adds 15–20%.
- Old concrete and rubble. Older gardens often hide broken slabs, old post footings and builders' rubble along the fence line, which slows digging.
- Heavy clay. Clay is common across Birmingham and slower to dig than lighter ground, especially when it is wet.
- Height beside a road. A side fence over 1 metre next to a road or its footway needs planning permission, so that part of the job is priced after a site visit.
- Working round a neighbour's fence. If next door wants to keep their fence, the specialist has to build the new one inside it.
Great Barr, Hamstead and the other council edges
Walsall side of Great Barr. Walsall's Great Barr Conservation Area Article 4 Direction 1991 covers properties in part of the conservation area around the old Great Barr Hall estate. It removes the permitted development right to put up, alter or take down any fence, wall, gate or other enclosure, and to make a new access onto a minor road. If you live inside it, even a like-for-like front fence needs planning permission. In autumn 2024 Walsall consulted on a new appraisal for the area, which proposed making the conservation area smaller but extending the Article 4 direction, including to front garden walls. Check the current boundary with Walsall's planning team before you order anything.
Sandwell side (Hamstead and parts of Great Barr). None of Sandwell's nine conservation areas is in this part of the borough. Its Article 4 directions cover some homes in High Street, West Bromwich, and 4 to 32 Bearwood Road, Smethwick, so ordinary permitted development rules apply to fences in Hamstead.
Birmingham side. The only Birmingham conservation area inside this patch is Aston Hall and Church, designated in January 1972 around the Jacobean hall and its park. Lozells and Soho Hill sits on the southern edge. Neither appears on Birmingham's list of Article 4 areas.
Corner plots and land that isn't yours
On a corner plot, the fence down the side garden usually faces a road, so the national limit without planning permission is 1 metre rather than 2. A tall fence close to a junction can also block drivers' view of the footway. Our 1m rule guide explains the limits.
Many estate homes here have a grass strip between the garden and the pavement. Do not assume it is yours to fence in. Walsall says several grass verges in its area are owned by the council's Asset Management team rather than being highway, and Sandwell has land owned by the council but managed by Sandwell Homes. Check your title plan, and ask the council's property team if the strip is not shown as yours. Council tenants also need their landlord's permission before changing a boundary.
Taking the old fence to the tip
Which tip you can use depends on which council you pay council tax to.
- Birmingham: Perry Barr HRC, Holford Drive, B42 2TU. Book a slot and bring proof of address. Vans book separately up to 7 days ahead, and no commercial vehicles are allowed. Wood is accepted.
- Sandwell: Shidas Lane, Oldbury. Sandwell's only tip is by appointment, for Sandwell residents only. Vans and cars with trailers can book once every four weeks. Wood goes in its own skip, and hard-core and rubble are limited to eight bags or 200kg a month.
- Walsall (Pheasey): Middlemore Lane, Aldridge. Vans and trailers must be booked in advance, with no same-day bookings and one van visit a month.
Most specialists take the old fence away themselves as part of the removal price, since these sites do not take trade waste.
What the job involves
- Checking the line. The specialist agrees the boundary with you, and with your neighbour if the fence is shared. Our who owns the fence guide helps here.
- Removal. Old panels and posts come out, and old footings are broken out where they are in the way.
- Posts. New posts go in concrete, with gravel boards to keep the timber off the soil.
- Panels or boards. Panels are slotted in or featheredge is built on site, then the waste is cleared.
Questions about new fences in North Birmingham
Does the Great Barr Article 4 direction affect my fence in Pheasey?
Only if your home is inside the area the 1991 direction covers, which is part of Walsall's Great Barr conservation area. Inside it, putting up, altering or taking down any fence, wall or gate needs planning permission. Walsall's planning team can confirm whether your address is included.
Can I fence in the grass verge outside my Kingstanding house?
Not unless you own it. A verge may be part of the highway or council-owned land, and only the owner can agree to it being fenced. Check your title plan first, and ask the council if the strip is not shown as yours.
I live in Hamstead. Can I take old fence panels to the Perry Barr tip?
Birmingham's centres are for Birmingham residents with proof of address, and Hamstead homes in Sandwell pay council tax to Sandwell. Use Sandwell's tip on Shidas Lane, Oldbury, by appointment. Wood goes in its own skip there.
How high can my side fence be on a Great Barr corner plot?
Next to a road or its footway, 1 metre without planning permission. If your home is in Walsall's Great Barr Article 4 area, any new or altered fence needs planning permission whatever its height.