A HOUSEHOLDER has been refused to consent to keep a boundary fence that was built without planning permission.

An application to retain the fence, which has been installed beside The Old Cottage in Chapel Lane, Bransgore, has been rejected by New Forest District Council.

The council said the height, length and stark appearance of the unauthorised fence would detract from the setting of the thatched cottage.

It added: "The fence is an alien and inappropriate feature amid the narrow hedge and wall-lined lanes of the village.

"The resultant visual impact cannot be mitigated by appropriate landscaping due to the narrow width of the grassed verge between fence and the road."

But the applicant, Graham Beehag, has appealed against the council's decision.