Yes, you must give a lot of thought to this - The Council website (planning dept) will show any historical applications and whether they have been granted or not. But if the weather is nice this weekend, I would go and have a look at the effect of the trees in the day - I know the sun will be lower at this time of year but you will be able to see how it impacts on the house. Finally, never assume that because the trees have possibly outgrown the area they were planted in, that the council will grant you permission to have them removed. You are not going to get a definitive answer as to whether permission to remove would be granted without putting in an application so you have to purchase assuming that there is nothing you can do about the trees and that they will be staying. ( Sorry, this is a long winded reply!!)

Kids love to play outside. Your own garden is a managed space where you can feel confident that your children are safe. If you are preparing your garden as a space for young children to play then these tips will help you consider any potential risks so that your garden is child friendly and baby safe. To help make your garden baby proof you might consider the following: Remove plants with inedible fruit - Children may be tempted to eat fruit they see on the ground - but not all fruit is edible. - You might also prune off any overhanging branches from neighbours fruit trees. Discourage pests - Regularly remove fallen fruit that could attract wasps. - Remove wasp nests from your garden. - Consider a wasp trap to keep babies safe from stings. - Cats may use your garden as a toilet. The best remedy could be to buy your own cat and they will likely stop other cats entering your garden/their territory. Cats don't like to use their own territory as a toilet. - Rubber toy snakes left on the lawn can also sometimes help to deter cats - and kids can play with them! - Keep sand boxes covered to avoid cats using them as a litter tray and keep cats out. - Slugs come out at night and slime over toys! Wash toys and avoid leaving small toys outside at night. (see also plant choice) Baby proof ponds and water - Fill ponds with soil. - Or fence ponds off but remember that children like to climb. Children develop quickly and what was adequate a month ago might not stop your child today. - Stagnant water can become a breeding ground for mosquitoes - empty unused buckets etc. Pets - Have any area for dogs/pets fenced off separate from the childrens playing area. Alternatively, you might simply fence off an area as a specific dog toilet area. - Keep dog toys separate from childrens toys. Children like to put toys in their mouths. Child friendly plants - Avoid buying/remove prickly plants. - Avoid buying/remove plants that develop berries that a child may think are edible. - Slugs love plants that are soft and squashy. Plants that become squashy and slimy when they decay are attractive to slugs. - Buy plants that grow back easily when broken or trodden on! - Don't cut the grass too short. This will help stop your lawn getting muddy with heavy use. However, cut regularly so your grass doesn't get too long. - Do buy plants that are colourful and stimulate young minds! - Do buy plants that attract beneficial insects like butterflies! - Do teach your children to respect plants, to admire them and to treat them delicately. - Teach your children to identify prickly plants and stinging nettles! - Why not set aside an area where children can plant seeds? Weather - Be aware that plastic toys can get very hot in the sun. - Create areas of shade and shelter from the sun. - Obviously, children need to be protected from over-exposure to the sun - hats, sun block but also insect repellent etc - Clean/pressure wash algae covered decking and paths as these can become slippery after rain. Remove heavy objects - Secure or remove heavy objects that could fall over - stone bird tables, garden ornaments. - Check stone walls for loose masonry and re-point as necessary. Secure chemicals and tools - Avoid using chemicals in the garden such as slug pellets. Always read the label. - Keep other garden chemicals securely locked up and out of reach. - Keep garden tools locked up and out of reach. - Check/remove garden wire and string or plant supports that may look like a climbing frame! Baby proof gates and fencing - Ensure that gate locks and latches are out of reach of small children. - Fix any broken fence panels or gaps in the fence. - Lock gates to keep people out.

While white fencing isn't for me in a back garden, I have seen loads of pics here on Houzz with white fences and, although they mostly seem to be over in the USA (let's face it - they tend to have better daylight in parts of North America than we do in the UK) I do like the look of it, though. I especially like the whitewash appearance if you're going for a Cottage Garden as it adds a weathered appeal. I went for black in my garden which looks pretty stylish, especially with the greens and whites in front of it. I used to live in a house with a roof terrace and we were advised at the time to not use white on the inside of the parapet walls as it would glare too much. The chosen option for the wall was pale grey (before it was fashionable) and it worked really well. For this reason, I wouldn't have gone for white fence or white furniture.

Wow thank you so so much! This is beyond helpful! I think I will be able to sleep tonight (last two nights were just crazy-can't stop blaming myself for ruining our fence!) :) Appreciate the design pictures too! Love the idea of mix of the various flowers with trees, but I think we will need to paint all of the fence white now, as it will look unfinished?! The right side of the garden is south facing, so fence is faded brown (golden) and we have a shed there. Planning to buy another one and paint them in grey or so..to match the theme and make this garden cute! Our left fence is north facing, so it is still quite dark..so we need to make all of them match perhaps and then plant shady plants on the left, mix at the back and sun lovers to the right. Great idea with the oval shape! Need to think about the bloody slope.. it starts approx 1.5m from the back fence and slopes by approx 0.5m, so not too bad..but I hope the ground wont slide and plants will be able to grow there, otherwise I'm gonna be devastated. I will keep you posted as soon as we make some progress!