A Herefordshire woman is fighting moves to make her put back railings that were removed from an elevated terrace at her house.

Herefordshire Council served an enforcement notice in June on Claire Ridley of Wye Street, Ross-on-Wye, saying that replacing the “historic” hoop-topped metal railings edging the terrace to the rear of the grade II listed property with “incongruous” glazed panels, had been done without listed building consent.

The notice gave her one month in which to appeal against the enforcement, otherwise she would have to reinstate the metal railings within a further three months.

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Ms Ridley did indeed appeal against the notice.

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A 164-page “statement of case” submitted to the government’s Planning Inspectorate acknowledges that the glass balustrade “introduces a modern material” to the property, but maintains this is “not uncharacteristic to the conservation area”.

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The previous railings were anyway “un-historic”, and less safe than a solid boundary, it claims.

According to the Planning Inspectorate website, both sides have until the end of December to finish putting their case, with a hearing in the new year at a date yet to be set.

A 2021 sales brochure described the house’s terrace as “one of the key attributes of this property”, and a “fantastic seating and entertaining area” with outdoor bar, hot tub and “truly special” views over the nearby river Wye.