This Hedging is in NCZ5 of the Boundary Fence – How to retain vegetation
Hedging and Pool Fences Don’t Mix
It’s a common story for many homeowners — the pool was perfectly compliant when first built, but over the years, the garden has grown up around it. Before long, those lovely hedges are towering over 3 metres high. Beautiful of course but now they intrude into NCZ5, the 900mm non-climbable zone beside the boundary fence. Once that happens, your options become limited. You can either:
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- Remove or heavily trim the hedging, or
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- Build a smaller pool enclosure so the hedging sits completely outside it.
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In this example, the owner was lucky enough to have room to install a new 1200mm-high pool barrier. By pruning the lower tree branches, they cleared the 900mm Non Climbable zone outside the new fence, removing any climbable points. This eliminates the Boundary Fence altogether.
The big lesson here is to plan ahead when positioning your pool. Ideally, leave at least 3 metres between the pool and any future hedging. This spacing allows for:
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- A clearance of 1250mm between the water’s edge and your pool barrier
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- A 1200mm-high barrier, which would be cheaper than 1800mm (the latter requires only 500mm Clearance to the outside)
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- A 900mm non-climbable clearance on the outside —
leaving around 900mm for your hedging to grow safely.
- A 900mm non-climbable clearance on the outside —
In the case of the Featured Image, the space was a bit tight; the taller 1800mm fence made it possible to keep the hedge trunks more than 500mm clear of the new barrier — nevertheless, a great outcome, the dense canopy still provides privacy but a good reminder that a little planning goes a long way!
No matter what your issues might be, if you’re unsure whether your planned pool area will meet safety requirements, get in touch to book a site meeting — it’s a simple way to avoid costly fixes later.