Garden privacy is one of the first things homeowners address after moving into a new property or completing a rear extension. The challenge in UK gardens, typically small, overlooked on multiple sides, and subject to planning restrictions, is achieving real seclusion without creating a oppressive, box-like space.

The good news is that there is a wide range of options from cheap DIY trellis to premium composite screening, and a well-chosen combination of hard and soft landscaping can create genuine privacy without triggering planning permission.

Planning Rules: What You Can Do Without Permission

Before spending money, establish what you can legally build. In England, under the General Permitted Development Order (GPDO), fences, walls, and gates are permitted development under Schedule 2, Part 2, Class A (no planning permission needed) if:1

  • They are no higher than 2 metres above ground level, except next to a highway used by vehicles (or the footpath of such a highway), where the limit is 1 metre.21
  • The site is not a listed building or within the curtilage of one, the fence does not border a neighbouring listed building, and the right has not been removed by an Article 4 direction or a planning condition.2 Being in a conservation area does not remove the right, although taking down a fence, wall or gate there may need permission.2

Trellis or screen panels added to the top of an existing fence count towards the overall height, so a 1.8 m close-board fence with a 30 cm trellis topper is a 2.1 m structure, which technically requires planning permission. In practice, enforcement action on a modest trellis topper is rare, but it is worth knowing the rule, particularly if you have difficult neighbours.

Pergolas and arbours set within the garden are usually treated as outbuildings under Class E permitted development, which allows up to 2.5 m high within 2 m of the boundary and 3 m elsewhere (4 m with a dual-pitched roof), provided nothing is forward of the principal elevation and outbuildings together cover no more than 50% of the garden.3 A freestanding screen that encloses part of the garden may instead be treated as a fence, so check with the council before building one over 2 m.

Types of Garden Screening

Timber Trellis

The most affordable option. Diamond or square-patterned trellis panels are available in 1.8 × 0.9 m sections from most builders’ merchants and garden centres.

Trellis typeLifespan (approx.)
Basic softwood (pressure treated)10–15 years
Hardwood (oak/iroko)20–25+ years
Expanded metal trellis25+ years

Forest Garden’s pressure-treated square trellis has a recommended retail price of £26.49 for a 6ft by 1ft topper and £36.99 for a 6ft by 3ft panel.45 Its heavy duty square trellis, 183 by 183 cm, is from £49.49.6 A hardwood trellis panel from one fencing supplier is £30 to £35 including VAT, depending on size.7

Trellis works best as a plant support rather than an immediate privacy solution. Combined with climbing plants (clematis, roses, evergreen jasmine, or wisteria) it creates a living screen that improves year on year.

Slatted Timber Panels

Horizontal slatted panels (50–100 mm timber slats with 10–20 mm gaps) have dominated UK garden design for the past five years. They offer a modern aesthetic and allow air movement while limiting sightlines.

  • Pressure-treated softwood: Forest Garden’s 1.8 m by 1.8 m pressure-treated contemporary slatted fence panel is from £131.99, and its double slatted version from £177.99, about £73 to £99 per metre of 1.8 m high panel.8
  • Hardwood: western red cedar slatted screening panels, all 1.8 m wide, run from £79.50 to £296.88 including VAT across heights from 0.3 m to 1.8 m at one timber merchant.9 A specialist maker sells iroko slatted fence panels at £180 to £755 including VAT, depending on size.10
  • Installed cost: none of the installers we checked publishes a price for slatted screening. Labour is broadly that of a close-board fence, which one London fencer prices at £145 to £190 per metre supplied and fitted.11

Composite Screening Panels

Composite (wood-plastic composite) screening panels need very little maintenance: no staining, no splitting and no rot. Composite fencing boards and complete panels are sold by the national builders’ merchants and DIY chains, as well as by specialist decking and cladding brands.

  • Supply only: a premium composite slatted fencing kit, 1.8 m by 1.8 m, is £260 including VAT from one timber merchant, about £144 per metre of 1.8 m high fence.12
  • Supply only, from a national chain: Wickes sells DuraPost Vento composite fence panels, 6ft by 6ft, in multipacks of three or more from £980, about £327 a panel.13

The premium price is offset by the low upkeep: hardwood slats need oiling every year, which is a tin of oil and a few hours, while composite needs only an annual wash.

Bamboo and Reed Panels

Bamboo roll fencing (natural bamboo canes rolled onto galvanised wire) is a low-cost temporary solution:

  • Bamboo roll: Screwfix sells a natural bamboo garden screen 4 m long and 2 m high at £42.99, about £11 per metre.14
  • Lifespan: 3–7 years before the canes discolour and split.

For a budget-conscious approach to a rented property or a temporary screen while a hedge establishes, bamboo roll is hard to beat on cost.

Living Screens: Hedging and Climbing Plants

Living screens take 3–5 years to establish but are the most attractive long-term solution and the most ecologically valuable. Common choices:

PlantSpacingGrowth rate
Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus)60–90 cmFast (30–60 cm/year)
Bamboo (Phyllostachys aureosulcata)90–120 cmVery fast once established
Photinia ‘Red Robin’60–90 cmModerate
Holly (Ilex aquifolium)50–60 cmSlow
Portuguese Laurel60–90 cmModerate

At one hedging nursery, a 60 to 80 cm root-balled cherry laurel is £12.99 and a Portuguese laurel of the same size £13.99.1516 A Photinia ‘Red Robin Compacta’ 60 to 80 cm tall in a 3 litre pot is £18.99 there, and an English holly 60 to 90 cm tall in a 2 litre pot £7.99.1718 Phyllostachys aureosulcata 1.5 to 1.75 m tall in a 10 litre pot is £36 at another nursery, on offer from £60.19

Caution with bamboo: Running bamboo species (Phyllostachys) spread aggressively via underground rhizomes and can cause boundary disputes and even structural damage.20 Use clumping bamboo (Fargesia) or install a 600 mm deep root barrier membrane if planting running species.20

High hedges: keep evergreen hedging trimmed. If a line of two or more mostly evergreen trees or shrubs grows over 2 metres and affects a neighbour’s enjoyment of their home or garden, the neighbour can ask the council to intervene once informal attempts to settle the dispute have failed.21

Practical Combinations That Work

Immediate privacy + long-term finish: Install a 1.8 m composite screen on the boundary now, then plant a native hedge (hawthorn, blackthorn, field maple) in front of it. In 5–7 years the hedge matures and the screening panel can be removed, or left as a background structure.

Small urban garden: A slatted panel at 1.8 m with climbing plants (Trachelospermum jasminoides, evergreen clematis) creates a dense green wall that maximises privacy without completely blocking light.

Elevated decking or raised terrace: Where the main seating area is elevated and overlooked, fit a 1.2 m balustrade with a 0.6 m trellis topper, 1.8 m overall, and plant evergreen climbers to fill in quickly. Bear in mind that a raised platform more than 0.3 m high is not permitted development under Class E, so a new elevated deck may itself need planning permission, and a screen on the boundary is measured from ground level, not from the deck.22

What to Budget

For 6 m of boundary, at the prices above and before posts or fitting:

  • DIY bamboo roll: two 4 m by 2 m Screwfix rolls at £42.99 each come to £85.98.14
  • DIY softwood trellis: four of Forest Garden’s 6ft by 3ft square trellis panels at £36.99 each come to £147.96.4
  • DIY softwood slatted panels: four of Forest Garden’s 1.8 m slatted panels from £131.99 each come to £527.96.8
  • Composite screening, supply only: four 1.8 m composite slatted kits at £260 each come to £1,040.12
  • Laurel hedge, DIY planting: cherry laurel at three plants per metre is 18 plants for 6 m, £233.82 at £12.99 each.16

For most UK rear gardens, a combination of composite or hardwood panels for the key overlooked elevations, plus established shrubs and climbers, provides the best value. Get installed quotes for the panels, because none of the installers we checked publishes a price for screening.

References (22)

Figures in this note were checked against the sources below on 30 September 2026. Superscript numbers in the text point to them. Every source the site cites, by topic.

  1. 1technicalvery strongThe National Archives, legislation.RN-B3EWHKThe national permitted development right for boundary enclosures, and the answer to the very common error of treating fence height as a council rule. Class A permits the erection, construction, maintenance, improvement or alteration of a gate, fence, wall or other means of enclosure. A.1 exclusions: (a) adjacent to a HIGHWAY USED BY VEHICULAR TRAFFIC the height must not exceed 1 metre above ground level, except at a school where 2 metres is allowed provided any part above 1 metre does not obstruct highway users' sightlines; (b) anywhere else 2 metres above ground level; (c) where an existing enclosure is maintained, improved or altered its height must not exceed its former height or the (a)/(b) limit, whichever is the greater, so an existing over-height fence may be kept at that height but not raised; (d) development is NOT permitted within the curtilage of, or to a boundary of, a listed building. The 'used by vehicular traffic' qualifier is routinely dropped from consumer guidance, which wrongly applies the 1 metre limit to a boundary onto a footpath.
  2. 2technicalvery strongPlanning Portal, guidance.RN-N80QRQThe Planning Portal's homeowner summary of GPDO Schedule 2 Part 2 Class A. No permission needed where the structure does not exceed one metre in height from ground level next to a highway, or two metres in height elsewhere, and where an existing structure's height is not increased beyond those limits. Permission IS needed where the site is a listed building or within its curtilage, or where the boundary involves a neighbouring listed building or its curtilage. Notes that in a conservation area you might need permission to TAKE DOWN a fence, wall or gate, which is the reverse of what most readers expect. Also notes the right can be removed by an article four direction or a planning condition. Ends with the standard caveat that this is introductory guidance and the local planning authority should be checked.
  3. 3technicalvery strongThe National Archives (legislation.gov.uk), legislation.RN-J6L7TIThe primary legal text for garden rooms, sheds, summerhouses, pergolas, greenhouses and outdoor pools. Class E permits any building or enclosure, swimming or other pool within the curtilage required for a purpose incidental to the enjoyment of the dwellinghouse, plus a domestic heating oil container. Limitations: E.1(b) buildings, enclosures and containers other than the original dwellinghouse must not cover more than 50% of the curtilage; E.1(c) nothing forward of a wall forming the principal elevation of the original dwellinghouse; E.1(d) single storey only; E.1(e) maximum height 4 metres with a dual-pitched roof, 2.5 metres if any part is within 2 metres of a curtilage boundary, otherwise 3 metres; E.1(f) eaves no higher than 2.5 metres; E.1(g) not within the curtilage of a listed building; E.1(h) no verandah, balcony or raised platform; E.1(j) oil containers capped at 3,500 litres. E.4 defines incidental use as including keeping poultry, bees, pet animals, birds or other livestock for domestic needs or personal enjoyment, which is why a garden room used as a separate dwelling falls outside Class E.
  4. 4costsupplier figureForest Garden.RN-39WAJ9A price, true at 2026-10. Forest Garden's product page for its 6ft by 3ft pressure-treated square trellis panel, with the recommended retail price.
  5. 5costsupplier figureForest Garden.RN-CWJ5DUA price, true at 2026-10. Forest Garden's product page for its 6ft by 1ft pressure-treated square trellis topper, with the recommended retail price.
  6. 6costsupplier figureForest Garden.RN-0ZSGD9A price, true at 2026-10. Forest Garden's range of 6ft trellis panels with their from prices, including the 183 by 183 cm heavy duty square trellis.
  7. 7costsupplier figureJAKK.RN-JZISWBA price, true at 2026-10. A fencing supplier's product page for a hardwood trellis fencing panel, priced by size including VAT.
  8. 8costsupplier figureForest Garden.RN-FKQGXWA price, true at 2026-10. Forest Garden's range of pressure-treated slatted fence panels by size, with from prices, including the 1.8 m by 1.8 m contemporary slatted and double slatted panels.
  9. 9costsupplier figureTimberstore Ltd.RN-VAOX1LA price, true at 2026-10. A timber merchant's made-to-order western red cedar slatted screening panels, 1.8 m wide in heights from 0.3 m to 1.8 m, with the price range ex and inc VAT.
  10. 10costsupplier figureSlatted Screen Fencing.RN-DSX8S9A price, true at 2026-10. A UK maker's made-to-order iroko hardwood slatted fence panels, with the price range across sizes including VAT.
  11. 11costsupplier figureGood Fence.RN-8KK67JA price, true at 2026-10. A London and South East fencing contractor's own 2026 supply-and-fit rates for closeboard fencing per metre, banded by run length, for standard ground and reasonable access.
  12. 12costsupplier figureAlex Timber Aberdeen.RN-R7IGPWA price, true at 2026-10. A timber merchant's product page for a premium composite slatted fencing kit, 1.8 m by 1.8 m, priced including VAT.
  13. 13costsupplier figureWickes Building Supplies Ltd.RN-OKARB8A price, true at 2026-10. Wickes Building Supplies Ltd's published price for the item the cost register files as "composite fence panel and composite fencing board, supply only", which is the figure a cost footnote on this page points at.
  14. 14costsupplier figureScrewfix.RN-UQNERJA price, true at 2026-10. Screwfix's product page for a natural bamboo garden screen roll, 4 m long and 2 m high, with its price including VAT.
  15. 15costsupplier figureHedges Direct.RN-TU51XVA price, true at 2026-10. A hedging nursery's product page for Portuguese laurel, 60 to 80 cm root ball, with the price per plant.
  16. 16costsupplier figureHedges Direct.RN-6GSPORA price, true at 2026-10. A hedging nursery's product page for cherry laurel, 60 to 80 cm root ball, with the price per plant and the recommended three plants per metre.
  17. 17costsupplier figureHedges Direct.RN-YE6FOGA price, true at 2026-10. A hedging nursery's product page for English holly, 60 to 90 cm in a 2 litre pot, with the price per plant.
  18. 18costsupplier figureHedges Direct.RN-OBLZGKA price, true at 2026-10. A hedging nursery's product page for Photinia Red Robin Compacta, 60 to 80 cm in a 3 litre pot, with the price per plant.
  19. 19costsupplier figureParamount Plants.RN-KAHM3EA price, true at 2026-10. A nursery's product page for Phyllostachys aureosulcata (yellow groove bamboo), priced by height and pot size.
  20. 20technicalfairRoyal Horticultural Society, guidance.RN-BF36MRThe RHS guide to controlling bamboo in gardens. It explains that running bamboos spread by rhizomes into neighbouring properties and can, in extreme cases, damage hard surfaces and buildings.
  21. 21technicalvery strongGOV.UK, guidance.RN-WDA2M3GOV.UK guidance on neighbour disputes. It says a council can consider a high hedge complaint about two or more mostly evergreen trees or shrubs over 2 metres tall, after informal attempts to settle.
  22. 22technicalvery strongThe National Archives, legislation.RN-OWGIY3Schedule 2 Part 1 of the GPDO 2015, development within the curtilage of a dwellinghouse. This is permitted development itself: Class A enlargement and alteration, with the limits and conditions, through the classes covering roof alterations, porches, outbuildings and hard surfaces. Every statement about what can be built without planning permission traces to this Part, and the exclusions at the start of each class are where most projects actually fall out.

  1. The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, Schedule 2, Part 2, Class A: gates, fences, walls etc, legislation.gov.uk, accessed 30 September 2026. legislation.gov.uk

  2. Fences, gates and garden walls: planning permission, Planning Portal, accessed 30 September 2026. planningportal.co.uk

  3. The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, Schedule 2, Part 1, Class E, The National Archives, accessed 14 September 2026. legislation.gov.uk

  4. 6ft x 3ft Traditional Square Garden Trellis, Forest Garden, accessed 17 October 2026. Priced at 2026-10 and left there. forestgarden.co.uk

  5. 6ft x 1ft Traditional Square Garden Trellis, Forest Garden, accessed 17 October 2026. Priced at 2026-10 and left there. forestgarden.co.uk

  6. 6ft Garden Trellis, Forest Garden, accessed 17 October 2026. Priced at 2026-10 and left there. forestgarden.co.uk

  7. Trellis Hardwood Fencing Panel, JAKK, accessed 17 October 2026. Priced at 2026-10 and left there. jakkuk.co.uk

  8. Slatted Fence Panels, Forest Garden, accessed 17 October 2026. Priced at 2026-10 and left there. forestgarden.co.uk

  9. Western Red Cedar Screening Single Slatted Panels, Timberstore Ltd, accessed 17 October 2026. Priced at 2026-10 and left there. timberstoreltd.co.uk

  10. Slatted Iroko Fence Panels, Slatted Screen Fencing, accessed 17 October 2026. Priced at 2026-10 and left there. slattedscreenfencing.co.uk

  11. Close Board Fencing Cost 2026: £145–£190/m, Good Fence, accessed 17 October 2026. Priced at 2026-10 and left there. goodfence.co.uk

  12. Premium Composite Slatted Fencing Kit 1.8m x 1.8m, Alex Timber Aberdeen, accessed 17 October 2026. Priced at 2026-10 and left there. ga-timber.com

  13. DuraPost Anthracite Grey VENTO Vertical Composite Fence Panel 6ft x 6ft, Wickes Building Supplies Ltd, accessed 17 October 2026. Priced at 2026-10 and left there. wickes.co.uk

  14. Apollo Bamboo Garden Screen 4m x 2m, Screwfix, accessed 17 October 2026. Priced at 2026-10 and left there. screwfix.com

  15. Portuguese laurel 60/80cm Root ball, Hedges Direct, accessed 17 October 2026. Priced at 2026-10 and left there. hedgesdirect.co.uk

  16. Cherry laurel 60/80cm Root ball, Hedges Direct, accessed 17 October 2026. Priced at 2026-10 and left there. hedgesdirect.co.uk

  17. English Holly 60/90cm 2L pot, Hedges Direct, accessed 17 October 2026. Priced at 2026-10 and left there. hedgesdirect.co.uk

  18. Compact Photinia Red Robin 60/80cm 3L Pot, Hedges Direct, accessed 17 October 2026. Priced at 2026-10 and left there. hedgesdirect.co.uk

  19. Yellow Groove Bamboo to Buy UK. Phyllostachys Aureosulcata., Paramount Plants, accessed 17 October 2026. Priced at 2026-10 and left there. paramountplants.co.uk

  20. Bamboo control, Royal Horticultural Society, accessed 30 September 2026. rhs.org.uk

  21. Resolving neighbour disputes: high hedges, trees and boundaries, GOV.UK, accessed 30 September 2026. gov.uk

  22. The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, Schedule 2, Part 1, legislation.gov.uk, accessed 30 September 2026. legislation.gov.uk