David Holman spent £4,000 installing the gates. (Representative image)
A British man who recently installed a new gate in front of his rural home was told to remove it because it was “too smart for the rural area”.
According to the Wales Online reporthomeowner David Holman, 53, spent thousands of pounds installing the aluminum gates to replace the normal five bar gate on his home called Little Cider Mill Barn.
The gate he installed to his property in Croesyceiliog, Monmouthshire, to feel safer after being berated by a stranger.
The stylish six-foot gates at the entrance to his ideal barn conversion have a “high quality” wood grain look. However, locals objected and planning officials decided that the style did not “reflect the rural character of the area”, and ordered its demolition.
He has now been ordered to remove the gates by planning officers from Monmouthshire County Council, who said this would better protect the road’s rural setting.
In order to enjoy a quiet life in the countryside with his wife and three dogs, Mr. Holman moved to the countryside in 2019.
And after they moved into their new home, Mr. Holman claimed that a strange man yelled at him one day, “You don’t like people looking into your property, do you?” or “pull up on the common driveway?”
He stated that after the stranger verbally assaulted him, he called the police, who urged him to tighten security at the rural home.
Mr Holman added: “We had no idea planning would be necessary at all as the gates were within the boundary of our property. The gates we chose we thought would be the best fit and quickest to install .”
According to the report, Planning Superintendent Janine Townsley said protecting the rural environment along the road was more important than Mr. Holman.
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