Our 8ft privacy fence has been blasted by locals… but it’s crucial for keeping our kids safe
TEACHERS are facing a fight with neighbours over a new 8ft privacy fence they insist is essential to protect pupils from intruders sneaking through holes in rotting walls.
A Birmingham primary school has sparked protests from locals over plans for a new 2.4m-tall metal barrier to surround the grounds.
Opponents fear it will make them pay higher energy bills by blocking out natural light - and also suggest it could encourage more crime by creating new nearby alleyways.
Yet both police and council planning officers have thrown their weight behind Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Primary School, in Birmingham's Harborne suburb.
School chiefs insist the proposed new fence should safeguard children "for many years to come", the reports.
Staff say they have been plagued daily by not only onlookers peering over at pupils but also intruders on the school grounds.
Yet there has been a backlash from Harborne residents, with 20 letters objection fired off to Birmingham City Council.
Some protesters insisted the school's money could be "better spent" - while others accused Our Lady of Fatima of being "disingenuous" when talking about "safeguarding" needs.
The higher energy bills complaints came when speculating about a loss of natural light.
Critics also suggested the fence could actually increase crime and anti-social behaviour, by making new alleyways along the perimeter.
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Yet West Midlands Police have told the local authority they have no objection to the plans.
And council officers have recommended the fence be given the go-ahead when a decisive planning meeting is held next Thursday.
The school's application for a mesh fence with timber slats also includes some playground changes such as new steps and handrails.
In a statement, they said: "The perimeter fence in its current state poses a safeguarding risk to our pupils.
"The Department for Education requires all schools to ensure that pupils are safe and secure - we must address these concerns."
They told of reports that people would often run across the school to neighbours' houses, sheds and back gardens - blaming existing fencing which was "low and easy to vault".
They also described wooden barriers between the school and local homes as full of holes and "rotten", needing replacing.
Some 210 pupils aged between four and 11 go to the school, which opened in 1967 and became part of the Emmaus Multi Academy Company two years ago.
Elsewhere, a row over a privacy fence last month landed two neighbours in court after breaking out into a brawl in Stoke-on-Trent.
Other recent neighbour disputes over privacy fences have included rows in the Hessle area of Hull in Yorkshire and near Cotham School in Bristol.
Meanwhile, a privacy fence expert shared six tips on how to potentially avoid feuds.
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And a legal expert explained how to find out who owns your garden fence and has responsibility for it.
Another school with angry neighbours is in Wembley in north London, where parents are accused of turning curtains black and sparking fights in the street with dangerous driving.