I paid £25k to make fenced off garden for my daughters – now I could go to prison if I don’t throw it open to the public
A MAN embroiled in a bitter council row is being forced to destroy his £25,000 garden or face going to prison.
Richard Hickson forked out £5k for a patch of grass next to his garden in Istead Rise, near Gravesend, Kent and built a 6ft privacy fence around it.
The dad-of-two created the extra space for his five and eight-year-old daughters, and shelled out another £20,000 perfecting it.
But, now his "haven" will have to be opened up to the public.
Despite receiving no complaints from Kent County Council for five years, the 37-year-old is now being threatened with "a fine, imprisonment, or both" if he doesn't tear down the fence.
An outraged Richard said the spot of land he bought, from developers P J Brazier and Company Limited, was "not used by anyone", only serving as a "litter trap" and a place people abandoned their cars.
He told : “It sounds ridiculous. We could go to prison for putting up a fence. It has just been massively stressful.
“This is not going to benefit anyone and nobody cared in the first place. It is just costing everyone more money.
"We will now potentially have to dismantle a portion of our fence and effectively grant public access to an area that is a haven for our children's playtime."
Richard said the "devastating news" will ruin "a haven" for his children.
The fuming homeowner claimed if he hadn't bought it, another resident may have snapped it up and built a small property.
This would have been more invasive than a 6ft privacy fence, according to Richard.
Kent County Council have told Richard, and wife Jade, the spot of grass they purchased is a “publicly maintainable highway” subject to highway rights.
This means, despite Richard owning the land, the council have final say.
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One Brit was slapped with an eye-watering £20,000 fine, £27,174 costs and a £261,837 confiscation order in 2020.
Experts added that even if homeowners avoid penalties at the time, it could make selling the property difficult later on.
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