In Edgware (HA8), under Barnet Council, you'll mostly find 1930s semis built around the tube extension, plus newer flats near the town centre, with gardens usually rectangular suburban gardens, mostly flat, often with mature fruit trees. Most site visits in this patch come back to one thing: side-return access on edgware semis is genuinely narrow — long panels often have to come up over the garage. Manhole covers sitting on or near a boundary: It's not unusual for a drainage manhole cover to sit directly on, or very close to, a garden boundary line, reflecting how shared drainage runs were originally laid out. Water companies and building control generally expect ongoing access to manhole covers to be maintained, which can rule out building a fixed fence panel or post directly over one. Windbreak netting as an interim exposure measure: On a newly exposed plot, such as after a neighbouring hedge or building is removed, temporary windbreak netting fixed to the existing fence can reduce load on the structure while a longer-term solution like replanting or upgrading the fence itself is arranged.
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Property: 1930s semis built around the Tube extension, plus newer flats near the town centre
Gardens: rectangular suburban gardens, mostly flat, often with mature fruit trees
side-return access on Edgware semis is genuinely narrow — long panels often have to come up over the garage
Under Barnet Council, covering HA8. Nearest arterial: A5 Edgware Road / A41, M1 J4 / A41. Served from Edgware (Northern line). Local commercial anchors: Edgware Broadwalk, Burnt Oak Broadway.
Streets we regularly work on: Station Road, Edgwarebury Lane, High Street, Whitchurch Lane. Local anchors: Stonegrove Park, Edgware bus station, Canons Park.
Edgware developed rapidly after the Northern line was extended to the area in the 1920s, and much of its housing dates from that period of suburban expansion. Canons Park, on the town's edge, was once part of the grounds of Canons House and retains covenants affecting some streets. The A5, running through the town, follows the route of the Roman Watling Street.
Practical points for boundary work in Edgware
Manhole covers sitting on or near a boundary
It's not unusual for a drainage manhole cover to sit directly on, or very close to, a garden boundary line, reflecting how shared drainage runs were originally laid out.
Water companies and building control generally expect ongoing access to manhole covers to be maintained, which can rule out building a fixed fence panel or post directly over one.
Where a boundary run includes a manhole cover, planning a removable panel section or routing the fence slightly around it avoids blocking access that may later be needed for drain clearance.
Windbreak netting as an interim exposure measure
On a newly exposed plot, such as after a neighbouring hedge or building is removed, temporary windbreak netting fixed to the existing fence can reduce load on the structure while a longer-term solution like replanting or upgrading the fence itself is arranged.
This is a genuinely useful stop-gap rather than a permanent fix, since netting left up long-term degrades in UV and adds its own wind resistance once it starts to fray and catch more air than when new.
It buys time to plan a proper specification change rather than leaving a suddenly-exposed fence to fail before a permanent upgrade can be arranged.
Timber species and surface spread of flame
Untreated softwood used for fencing and cladding has a fairly modest natural resistance to flame spread, and where fencing sits close to a building boundary, some specifications reference surface spread of flame classification for the cladding or fencing material used.
Flame-retardant treatments can be applied to timber to improve its classification, working by charring the surface to slow flame spread rather than by making the timber genuinely non-combustible.
This consideration applies mainly to close-boundary or party-wall-adjacent structures rather than typical open garden fencing, where fire classification of the timber itself is rarely a specified requirement.
Mixed hedge-and-fence boundaries and shared responsibility
Many boundaries in practice aren't purely fence or purely hedge but a fence backed by an established hedge on one or both sides, which complicates simple assumptions about who maintains what.
Deeds rarely specify hedge maintenance in the same way they specify fence ownership, so in practice it tends to be agreed informally between neighbours, which is worth clarifying in writing before installing a new fence against an existing hedge.
A fence installed too close to an existing hedge on the boundary line can also restrict future access for cutting that hedge from one side, which is worth flagging before positioning posts.
Historic planning conditions overriding permitted development
Some properties, particularly newer housing developments, have a specific planning condition attached to their original permission that restricts boundary treatments beyond the normal permitted development rules.
These conditions remain in force indefinitely unless formally varied or removed, regardless of how long ago the development was built.
Checking the property's planning history on the council's online planning register is a quick way to spot this kind of condition before assuming standard permitted development rights apply.
Waterlogged clay and accelerated post rot
Heavy clay that holds standing water around the base of a post keeps the timber saturated for long periods, which is the single biggest driver of rot at ground level regardless of how well the timber was treated.
The visible sign is usually a post that snaps cleanly at or just below ground level while the section above ground still looks sound, because that is exactly where moisture content stays highest for longest.
A free-draining stone key at the base of the hole, rather than a solid concrete collar with no escape for water, reduces how long the timber sits wet after rain.
Is historic planning conditions overriding permitted development something you plan for in Edgware?
Some properties, particularly newer housing developments, have a specific planning condition attached to their original permission that restricts boundary treatments beyond the normal permitted development rules. These conditions remain in force indefinitely unless formally varied or removed, regardless of how long ago the development was built. Checking the property's planning history on the council's online planning register is a quick way to spot this kind of condition before assuming standard permitted development rights apply.
Is waterlogged clay and accelerated post rot something you plan for in Edgware?
A free-draining stone key at the base of the hole, rather than a solid concrete collar with no escape for water, reduces how long the timber sits wet after rain. Heavy clay that holds standing water around the base of a post keeps the timber saturated for long periods, which is the single biggest driver of rot at ground level regardless of how well the timber was treated. The visible sign is usually a post that snaps cleanly at or just below ground level while the section above ground still looks sound, because that is exactly where moisture content stays highest for longest.
Does timber species and surface spread of flame come up much on jobs around Edgware?
This consideration applies mainly to close-boundary or party-wall-adjacent structures rather than typical open garden fencing, where fire classification of the timber itself is rarely a specified requirement. Untreated softwood used for fencing and cladding has a fairly modest natural resistance to flame spread, and where fencing sits close to a building boundary, some specifications reference surface spread of flame classification for the cladding or fencing material used. Flame-retardant treatments can be applied to timber to improve its classification, working by charring the surface to slow flame spread rather than by making the timber genuinely non-combustible.
What's the typical garden like in Edgware?
Rectangular suburban gardens, mostly flat, often with mature fruit trees is typical, alongside 1930s semis built around the tube extension, plus newer flats near the town centre.
What areas of Edgware do you cover?
We cover all of Edgware (HA8), under Barnet Council.
Mixed hedge-and-fence boundaries and shared responsibility — what does that mean for a job in Edgware?
Many boundaries in practice aren't purely fence or purely hedge but a fence backed by an established hedge on one or both sides, which complicates simple assumptions about who maintains what. Deeds rarely specify hedge maintenance in the same way they specify fence ownership, so in practice it tends to be agreed informally between neighbours, which is worth clarifying in writing before installing a new fence against an existing hedge. A fence installed too close to an existing hedge on the boundary line can also restrict future access for cutting that hedge from one side, which is worth flagging before positioning posts.
Coverage runs off A5 Edgware Road / A41, near M1 J4 / A41, served from Edgware (Northern line). Timber species and surface spread of flame: Untreated softwood used for fencing and cladding has a fairly modest natural resistance to flame spread, and where fencing sits close to a building boundary, some specifications reference surface spread of flame classification for the cladding or fencing material used. Flame-retardant treatments can be applied to timber to improve its classification, working by charring the surface to slow flame spread rather than by making the timber genuinely non-combustible. Mixed hedge-and-fence boundaries and shared responsibility: Many boundaries in practice aren't purely fence or purely hedge but a fence backed by an established hedge on one or both sides, which complicates simple assumptions about who maintains what.
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