How to Choose Garden Screening for More Privacy

Garden screening blocks sight lines from neighbouring windows or paths so you can enjoy your outdoor space without feeling watched. The most effective approach is often to block the view close to your seating area with a pergola or internal screen, rather than just building the tallest possible boundary. In England, boundary fences and walls over 2 metres high generally need planning permission, while a fast-growing evergreen hedge offers year-round cover but requires careful upkeep to avoid neighbour disputes.

Start with where you are overlooked

Find exactly where the unwanted views are coming from before you buy materials. Stand in the parts of the garden you use most, such as the patio or the lawn, and trace the sight lines back to the surrounding properties. A neighbour looking from a ground floor window or a public footpath is usually blocked by a standard boundary fence or hedge. A neighbour looking down from an upstairs window is a different problem.

If you try to block a high window by putting a very tall screen right on the boundary, you can quickly run into height rules and fall out with your neighbours. The solution is to place the screening close to where you sit. A structure placed just behind your garden furniture blocks the angle of view much more effectively than a fence 10 metres away at the bottom of the garden.

This is where it helps to understand the different trades involved in changing your garden:

• A garden designer produces the plan and works out the best sight lines for privacy.
• A landscaper or landscape contractor builds the hard landscaping, which is the built part of a garden including patios, paths, walls, steps, decking, fencing and drainage.
• A gardener maintains the soft landscaping, which is the living part of the garden such as soil, turf, planting and trees.

Taller fences and trellis toppers

Replacing an old, low fence with a taller or more solid one is the most common way to improve privacy.

Overall most fences cost £90 to £150 per metre fully installed. Overlap or lap panel fences cost £60 to £110 per metre fitted. Featheredge or closeboard fencing is stronger and costs £90 to £140 per metre. Decorative panels cost £120 to £180 per metre, while composite fencing costs £130 to £220 per metre. Metal or steel railings cost £120 to £250 per metre. Reading our guide to comparing garden fence types will help you decide between these options.

If your existing fence is in good condition and the posts are strong, adding trellis to the top of it lets light through while breaking up the view. A 1 foot trellis topper adds about £18 to £35 per bay fitted. Ask the landscaper to check that the existing posts are sound enough to carry the extra height, because a taller fence catches more wind.

Hedges that screen all year

Planting a hedge is a natural way to screen a garden. Hedges filter the wind rather than blocking it completely, which makes your garden less turbulent in bad weather. Evergreens give screening all year round, while deciduous hedges are leafless in winter.

You should plant deciduous hedging from autumn to late winter, and evergreen hedging in autumn or spring. The plants are normally spaced about 30 to 60cm apart. Smaller plants take several years to knit together into an effective hedge, so you cannot just plant a row of small shrubs and expect total privacy the next week. New hedges also need regular watering for the first two years while their roots establish.

Fast growing evergreens are tempting when you want privacy quickly, but they require strict maintenance. Most conifers, including leylandii, will not re-sprout from old wood if cut back too hard. If you let a leylandii or similar conifer hedge overgrow and then cut it back hard into old wood, you can be left with bare, brown patches that do not grow back.

Pergolas and overhead screening

A pergola is a garden structure with upright posts and a framework of crossbeams across the top. Once climbers or a covered roof fill in the top, it can screen a seating area from upstairs windows that a fence cannot block.

Pergola prices supplied and fitted in 2026 range from £1,000 to £3,000 for treated softwood timber. An aluminium pergola with a fixed or open roof costs £2,500 to £6,000. A louvred aluminium pergola, which has adjustable roof slats you can open and close, costs £4,000 to £10,000 or more. A standard 3 by 4-metre timber pergola takes two fitters about 1.5 days to build. You can read more about these options in our guide on adding a garden pergola.

These structures are heavy and catch the wind, so they must be anchored securely. Groundworks or post bases cost £200 to £600 extra. The posts either need concrete footings dug into the soil or heavy duty brackets bolted down to a solid base. If you are building a pergola over a new patio, the landscaper will need to lay a proper sub-base. A sub-base is a layer of compacted crushed stone, often called MOT Type 1, under paving and artificial grass that stops the surface from sinking.

Screens and planting inside the garden

You do not have to put all your screening on the boundary. Freestanding slatted screens, planting beds and raised planters can be used to divide your garden into smaller, private zones. A slatted timber screen placed a few metres in front of your patio allows air and light to pass through while making it very difficult for anyone to see you sitting behind it.

Screening options compared

This table compares the main screening options on cost and how quickly they give you privacy.

These figures are typical published prices for 2026 and local quotes will differ. Timber fences last about 8 to 25 years depending on the type, composite and metal last longer, and a new hedge needs regular watering for its first two years.

Height rules for fences and walls

Whenever you build a permanent structure on a boundary, you must follow local planning rules. Planning rules in England state that a fence, wall or gate does not need planning permission if it is no more than 1 metre high from ground level next to a highway used by vehicles or its footpath. Elsewhere in the garden, it can be up to 2 metres high without planning permission.

The rules do not apply where the site is or borders a listed building, which will need consent for significant work. Rights can also be removed by an article 4 direction or a planning condition on your property. If you live outside England, or if you are unsure about your home, you should check with your local council.

Adding trellis to an existing fence is a popular way to increase privacy, but the trellis adds to the overall height of the boundary. A 60cm trellis on top of a 1.8-metre fence, for example, takes the total to 2.4 metres, so check with your council before you go above 2 metres in total.

Hedges, neighbours and the high hedges rules

Hedges as such do not need planning permission. However, a planning condition or covenant restricting planting might apply to your home. This can apply, for example, on open plan estates or where a tall hedge could block a driver's sight line.

Even without planning rules, you cannot let a hedge grow to any height you like. The council can get involved if a hedge is two or more mostly evergreen or semi-evergreen trees or shrubs, over 2 metres tall, and affecting a neighbour's enjoyment of their home or garden because it is too tall. Under these high hedges rules, you must try to resolve the dispute informally first. If your neighbour complains to the council, a fee may apply. Your neighbour is responsible for maintaining their own hedges, and you are responsible for yours.

If a neighbour's hedge grows over your boundary, you may trim branches or roots that grow across the boundary line. You can only cut up to the boundary. If you do more, your neighbour could take you to court for damaging their property. If you live in a conservation area, or the trees in the hedge are protected by a Tree Preservation Order, you might need the council's permission to trim them. A Tree Preservation Order makes it an offence to cut down, lop, uproot or damage a protected tree without the council's consent. Work on trees in a conservation area normally needs six weeks' notice to the council.

You must also check for wildlife before starting work. RHS advice on trimming hedges points out that it is an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to damage or destroy the nest of any wild bird while it is in use or being built. The main nesting season runs from early March to early August, so you should check hedges for nests before trimming and avoid cutting during these months if possible.

Common questions

What is the best garden privacy screen?

The best screen depends on where the unwanted view comes from. If a neighbour looks in from a ground floor window, a 2-metre closeboard fence or a dense evergreen hedge offers excellent privacy. If you are overlooked from an upstairs window, overhead screening like a pergola or a sail shade placed directly above your seating area is much more effective.

Can I put trellis on top of my fence to stop neighbours looking in?

Yes, you can attach trellis to the top of a fence to improve privacy and support climbing plants. The trellis counts towards the total height of the boundary, so check with your council before the combined height of the fence and the trellis goes over 2 metres.

What are the fastest hedge plants in the UK?

Fast growing conifers are often suggested for quick privacy, but they are not a simple fix. Most conifers, including leylandii, will not grow back from old wood if cut back too hard, so they need regular trimming from the start, and an evergreen hedge over 2 metres can lead to a high hedge complaint from a neighbour. Whatever you plant, smaller plants take several years to knit together, so ask a landscaper which evergreen suits the height you want to keep it at.

Do I need planning permission for a privacy fence?

In England, you do not need planning permission for a fence up to 2 metres high, provided it is not next to a highway used by vehicles or its footpath, where the limit is 1 metre. Exceptions apply for listed buildings and where rights have been removed by an article 4 direction or a planning condition, so always check with your council if you are unsure.

Getting screening built properly

Landscapers price per project after a site visit. The main cost drivers for any screening project are the total area, the groundwork required, levelling the site, and the materials you choose. Access is a major factor, because if the only way into your garden is through your house, everything carried through the house costs more in time and labour.

Waste removal is another big expense. A trader who carries waste must be a registered waste carrier, and the register is public. Always check this before anyone takes your old fencing or soil away.

The groundwork nobody sees, such as how deep the posts and footings go, is where corners get cut. Be wary of doorstep callers offering cheap work or leftover materials, and of cash deals with no written specification.

Landscaping is not a licensed trade, so vetted membership and evidence of past work matter. The British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI) says its Accredited members are vetted on workmanship, skill and health and safety. The Association of Professional Landscapers (APL) says members are assessed, regularly inspected and TrustMark accredited. TrustMark is the government-endorsed quality scheme. The Society of Garden and Landscape Designers (SGLD) is the professional body for designers. Membership of these bodies is a good sign, though not a guarantee.

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, work must be done with reasonable care and skill. If not, the customer can ask for it to be put right or seek a partial or full refund. Citizens Advice suggests getting three written quotes, having a written contract, paying deposits of no more than 25 per cent, and paying by card for extra protection. You might also be able to cancel within 14 days of agreeing a contract.

Before you hire a landscaper, make sure you agree on the details:

• Decide exactly where you need the screening and whether a fence, hedge or pergola works best for the sight line.
• Ask for a written quote, which is a fixed price, rather than an estimate, which is just a rough guess.
• Check that the quote states the excavation depth for any fence posts or pergola footings.
• Ensure the quote names the specific materials being used, such as the exact type of timber or composite board.
• Confirm that all waste removal and drainage work is included in the final price.
• Check whether VAT is included in the figures provided.

Design fees are usually separate from the build costs, and larger jobs are paid in stages. By planning carefully and getting everything in writing, you can find a landscaper near you who will build a secure, lasting privacy screen for your garden.