Gardens
Gardens offer a space to enjoy leisure activities, keep fit and are a good way to show pride in your home and community.
If you have a garden as part of your council home, you will be responsible for keeping it neat and tidy. If you end your tenancy, you should also leave it reasonably well maintained, ready for the next tenant.
Those who have purchased their home under the ‘right to buy’ also have a responsibility to maintain their garden areas to a ‘reasonable’ standard. This responsibility is set out in the tenancy agreement and within the ‘right to buy’ covenant for owners.
The minimum garden standards include:
- All garden areas should be kept tidy and clear of all litter, rubbish and bulky items. These items create unnecessary hazards and fire risk, as well as making your garden look unsightly
- Grassed areas, hedges and weeds should be kept at a reasonable height and cut at regular intervals
- All paths and access routes should be keep clear at all times for your safety and the safety of visitors
- Do not erect boundary structures, including fencing, without our permission. You will need to seek and obtain consent for any side or rear boundary fencing higher than 1.8 metres (6 feet) and front boundaries higher than 0.9 metres (3 feet)
- New trees and aggressive growing varieties of shrubs such as leylandii, laurel, willow, ash, oak and rhododendron are not permitted. Any ongoing maintenance of existing trees, hedges or shrubs is your responsibility and these should be kept to a manageable size
- No ponds. The installation of ponds is prohibited.
- Caravans and large vehicles can only be parked at your home with permission, which will only be given for a temporary period
We have a chargeable fortnightly garden waste collection service which runs from February to the end of November. Alternatively, garden waste can be taken to various approved sites (Pyke Quarry or the main household waste recycling facility at Hempstead in Gloucester).
We would not advise having a bonfire as it may cause a smoke nuisance to your neighbours (often the cause of countless disputes between neighbours), or produce smoke that is classed a pollution and therefore illegal. Our Environmental Health Department will take action under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 if they are satisfied that a nuisance has occurred, or is likely to recur.
If you do light a bonfire, please avoid doing so in the evening as it produces the worst pollution due to inversion layers caused by cooler night air.
If you want to install a shed, greenhouse or another garden building such as a summer house, you will need to seek permission from your Housing Officer in writing, outlining the size and type of garden building you wish to erect.
Permission is dependent on the size and location of the shed or building concerned, and this may also require planning permission from the District Council’s planning team. They can be contacted on 01453 754442 or email planning@stroud.gov.uk for advice and guidance.