Why do people have garden gates?

[Bruce Farquhar]

I'm not talking about big locked ones, just the silly 3 foot high ones that anyone can open. They clearly don't stop burglars as you just hop over it or open it.

[The Other John]

To indicate that your property is not a public right of way?

[Bruce Farquhar]

But the only way you can go is to the front door. I'm talking about a normal house with a garden, not a huge mansion or farm estate.

[alan_m]

They stop rubbish blowing in.

It discourages dog owners from letting their pets in for toileting purposes.

It can discourage vehicle doing a 3 point turn from using your front garden driveway as extra road space.

[Bruce Farquhar]

On a council estate I guess so. We don't tend to have rubbish lying about here.

I've never seen anyone do that. Although I do see them allowing their dog to piss on the (outside) of someone's fence or hedge. I always tell them they're disgusting. People seem to think that dog piss is ok, and only shit is dirty. When I ask them if they would mind if I pissed in their garden, they often get very angry.

If the road was a decent width, that wouldn't be needed either. And if the road is narrow and I can't do a 3 point turn on it, and there's a gate in the way, I'd nudge it.

[Ed Pawlowski]

Two reasons. Decorative and keep dogs out.

[Archibald Tarquin Blenkinsopp]

Wrong on all counts.

To keep the householder secure. Mentally that is, not in any other way because in the UK just about everyone and his dog [and cat] has a right to wander around a chaps property.

AB

[S Viemeister]

Mine is required by the feu charter, to keep out cattle and sheep. Doesn't keep out the deer, though...

[soup]

Bollocks.

From :-A government website, about as definitive as it gets

" Excepted land

On access land some areas remain private (?excepted land?). You don?t have the right to access these areas, even if they appear on a map of open access land.

Excepted land includes:

houses, buildings and the land they?re on (such as courtyards) land used to grow crops building sites and land that?s being developed parks and gardens golf courses and racecourses railways and tramways working quarries "

[tabbypurr]

I don't think that's why we have gates.

[Archibald Tarquin Blenkinsopp]

There is a subtle difference in your definition of access.

To roam is to enter a property without purpose, this is not a right.

To wander is different inasmuch a meter reader who is one of those that will be allowed access can wander from room to room looking for a meter.

AB

[Brian Gaff]

Actually I'd like to make all people have fences and gates. Down my street so many people have made their front gardens into car parks that trying to do as i used to just a few short years ago, shoreline a fence line to get to the post box or the shops is now an obstacle course of wide open spaces, cars that overhang the premises and stupidly placed wheelie bins. Its like a nightmare for the blind. Now if the front was the only place to put a car, I'd say fine, just put a little raised strip along the boundary, but no, all the houses in my street have gardens and roads at the rear, most of the gardens being over 100 ft long. Plenty of room for a car or two. Its laziness. I call it the Thunderbirds solution. I'd imagine if they could just step into an alcove and slide down into the driving seat than that would be what they would install. Bah Humbug. Brian

[Harry Bloomfield]

Brian Gaff brought next idea :

Likewise here, just laziness. There is a busy regular bus route along the road, at the end of my street. A good half mile of that is occupied by large detached and semi- detached houses, these share a long access road at the rear and a have large-ish rear gardens with garages and parking built on them. Do they use the rear to park, not likely...

They park out front, usually in a continuous row of near 1/2 mile of parked vehicles, causing absolute chaos for traffic. Cars usually manage to somehow get through, but buses really struggle. I have even regularly seen them incredibly park on both sides of the road, making it a real struggle for buses, sometimes impossible.

[charles]

they keep small dogs and children in, though

[soup]

Note the "'ALLOWED' access". The only people allowed access without the homeowners permission are (I believe ) crown bailiffs and the police force (sure there are conditions there) all others need the homeowners permission.

You wander into someone's house (without their permission) and see how long it is until the police arrest you .

[Archibald Tarquin Blenkinsopp]

The right will be granted by a court if the homeowner refuses access.

The homeowner ultimately has little control over swathes of people needing access.

It was the subject of a TV program some years back and many were very surprised. As of course One would expect, if the program was about the patently obvious it wouldn't have seen the studio.

AB

[spuorgelgoog]

They do deter burglars (a bit) as it's a psychological barrier around the property.

Owain

[spuorgelgoog]

There's posh :-)

Are deer on your land classed as wild animals, poaching for the purpose of?

Owain

[charles]

without shooting them, how you you "poach" them? SWMBO would love to know, They eat our vegetables and roses.

[soup]

Of course it will(<for the avoidance of doubt that was sarcasm).

What possible reason could jimmy jinkishitter have to roam in your dwelling? Why would a court get involved in granting access

You can tell anyone (barring Police and court bailiffs) to 'f off' if they want access. Witness any amount of videos,newspaper articles etc on BBC license 'enforcers' being refused access.