Fencing in Wollert

Wollert is growing quickly on Melbourne’s northern fringe, and much of the fencing work here is new boundary fencing between recently built homes. Wollert Fencing is a referral website: you describe the job, and an independent local fencing business decides whether to quote and carries out the work. The steps are on the about page.

Who runs Wollert and what that means for fences

Wollert, postcode 3750, sits in the City of Whittlesea, about 26 km north of the Melbourne CBD. Council’s Wollert development plans page puts the current population at about 28,700 and expects around 59,000 residents by 2040, and it describes a community made up largely of first home buyers and young families. In practice that means street after street of homes being handed over within a few months of each other, and neighbours who have never met needing to agree on a shared fence.

Council’s fences page applies here. Side and back fences between properties can be up to 2 m high unless a covenant on the title controls side fence height, corner lots have tighter limits near the intersection, and anything taller needs a building permit and possibly siting consent. Council will provide a neighbouring owner’s name and mailing address in writing for fencing matters, and it has no power to settle fence disputes between neighbours.

The usual Wollert fencing jobs

• First boundary fences on a new lot. Side and rear Colorbond boundary fencing is the most common request, often shared with two or three neighbours at once.
• Wing fences and side gates. Closing the side path between house and boundary is often the next job after handover; see side gates and wing fences.
• Pool and spa barriers. New pools need a permit, council registration and a certificate of barrier compliance, covered on the pool fencing page.
• Rural and lifestyle boundaries. Older holdings outside the new estates still have post and wire or timber fences that need repair or replacement.

Covenants and estate guidelines

If your lot was sold with a title covenant or estate design guidelines, they may control fence height, material, colour or setback from the street. Council notes that a covenant can override its corner fence limits and can control side fence heights. Before you order materials, read the covenant on your title and any guidelines in your land contract, and give a copy to the fencer.

Ground conditions and old stone walls

Council describes the Wollert landscape as including large River Red Gums, some hundreds of years old, and many stony rises of significance to the Wurundjeri people. For fencing, stony ground means some post holes hit rock, which slows the work and can change the price, so ask whether a quote allows for it.

The City of Whittlesea also has many kilometres of historic dry stone walls dating from the mid 1800s, and its heritage planning page says they are protected by the planning scheme, with permits needed to remove stones or alter a wall even on private property. If a basalt wall runs near your boundary, plan the new fence around it and talk to council before moving any stone.

Fences next to reserves and council land

Council says new development in Wollert is laid out around large conservation reserves, so some rear boundaries back onto council-managed land. The City of Whittlesea asks owners whose property borders council land to call it for fencing advice before building. Do that before the fencer orders materials, because the arrangements differ from a fence shared with a private neighbour.

Sharing costs with new neighbours

When several new homes are fenced at once, the simplest path is usually a single quote that each pair of owners signs for their shared boundary. The DSCV fencing guidance says owners generally split the cost of a sufficient dividing fence equally and that a Fencing Notice gives the other owner 30 days to respond. If one owner wants a higher fence or a dearer finish, that owner normally pays the extra.

Planning a fence in Wollert

1. Find your survey pegs or plan of subdivision so the line is certain.
2. Read your covenant and estate guidelines.
3. Talk to each neighbour about height, material and colour.
4. Check whether any boundary backs onto council land or an old stone wall.
5. Ask for quotes that state the length, height, post type and what happens to spoil.

Prices for each fence type are compared in the Wollert fencing cost guide. Nearby suburbs with their own pages include Epping, Mernda, Craigieburn and Donnybrook.

When your boundary details are ready, send a Wollert fencing enquiry with the street, the fence lengths and a photo of the boundary.

Send a job enquiry