PLANNING wars have again broken out in Marsden.

Jeanette Delee and husband Patrick, of Bouldergate, have been ordered to get permission for wooden decking they installed over their back garden during the summer.

It is thought a neighbour complained the structure overlooked his grounds.

Mrs Delee, 43, and her husband, 42, have reacted angrily to Kirklees Council demands that they submit a retrospective planning application.

The couple received a letter from the council saying people standing on the 4ft-high platform could peer on to an adjoining lawn.

The decking was installed in July by the Delees' friend and immediate neighbour, Chris Stringer.

Mr Stringer hit the national news last month, after a complaint was made about his daughter's Wendy house and, again, an area of decking.

He was told he had to seek planning permission for both.

But that matter was resolved last month, when Kirklees Council confirmed permission was not needed for either the playhouse or the decking.

"His decking, they say, didn't need planning permission. So how come his doesn't but mine does?" asked Mr Delee, furious that the complainant appeared to have set his sights on both him and his friend.

He added: "You can stand on the decking and look over the neighbour's garden, or you can also stand in our upstairs windows and from every one you can see down into their garden."

The Delees must now submit a full retrospective application and wait for the council's decision.

Mrs Delee finds gardening a struggle because of heart problems. The decking was fitted to make her life a little easier.

"We just didn't think we needed planning permission," she said. "All we have done is in our own garden.

"We haven't interfered with anybody. They are just being vindictive. This is just beyond belief.

"What I do in my own house and my own garden is my business, not theirs," said Mrs Delee.

Trees planted between the two gardens should eventually act as a screen.

"If that decking has to come down it will be like World War Three around here," said Mrs Delee, fearing an escalation in the ``neighbours from Hell" stand-off.

A Kirklees spokeswoman said: "The decking projects from the house right up to the highway. The decking at the neighbouring property doesn't project further than the house.

"The fact that the decking projects to the highway means it is a legal requirement to get planning approval."

Related stories and messageboards