Choosing and fitting a garden gate

A garden gate follows the same height and permitted development rules as a fence of the same height, so check those limits first. Beyond that legal minimum, what determines whether a gate still swings properly in five years is the strength of the post it hangs from, the hinge and latch hardware, the frame material, and a clear width that suits how it will actually be used. Get the post right and most gate designs will perform for years; get it wrong and no amount of hardware will stop a gate dropping.

Do the same planning rules apply to a gate as to a fence?

Yes. The Planning Portal groups fences, walls and gates together under the same permitted development rules: up to one metre next to a highway used by vehicles, and up to two metres elsewhere. A driveway gate on a road frontage is the case to watch: next to a highway used by vehicles, or the footpath of one, anything over one metre needs permission, and if an existing gate is already taller its height cannot be increased. The same extra restrictions for listed buildings, conservation areas and Article 4 directions, covered in our guide to fence height and planning permission basics, apply equally to a gate.

What width should a garden gate be?

Width depends on use rather than a single fixed rule. A pedestrian side gate commonly gives a clear opening of around 900mm, enough for a wheelbarrow or a bin, while a step-free route to a front door can borrow from Approved Document M, Volume 1, which sets a minimum clear opening of 775mm for the principal entrance door of a standard new home (category M4(1)) and 850mm for the entrance door or gate of an accessible and adaptable home (category M4(2)). A driveway gate needs measuring against the vehicle it serves, including wing mirrors, plus margin either side to avoid scraping at the hinge or latch post.

Timber, metal or composite: which frame suits a gate?

Frame material	Typical strengths	What to watch
Softwood, pressure-treated	Affordable, easy to repair, matches a timber fence	Needs regular treatment to resist warping and rot
Hardwood	Slower to decay, holds its shape well over time	Heavier, so hinges and posts must be sized up
Galvanised or powder-coated steel	Very rigid, long service life, suits driveway gates	Can be expensive to repair if a section is damaged
Aluminium	Light, will not rust, easy for one person to operate	Less rigid than steel over a wide span without bracing

Whichever frame you choose, match it to the fence it sits in: a heavy hardwood or metal gate performs best when the two closest fence posts are upgraded to match its weight, rather than left as standard fence posts.

What makes a gate post strong enough to carry a gate?

A gate post does a different job from a standard fence post: it carries a constant, repeated leverage load every time the gate opens and closes, on top of its own weight. What matters is a larger post section than the rest of the fence, a deeper and wider concrete base, and a post set genuinely plumb and level before the concrete goes off, since even a slight lean will throw the gate's swing out within a season. Our guide to fence posts, bases and ground conditions covers embedment depth and base mix, with extra margin needed on a gate post.

Which hinges and latches last outdoors?

Choose hinges rated for the weight of the finished gate, not just its frame before hardware is added, and prefer stainless steel or heavy galvanised fittings over plain steel, which can rust and streak the timber. A self-closing hinge is worth considering on any gate that opens onto a shared boundary or near a road. For the latch, a simple gravity latch suits most pedestrian gates, while a driveway gate carries extra vehicle and wind load, so it needs a latch, and often a lock, that can be reached from both sides, plus a larger post base and a middle stop to keep a double gate aligned when closed. If the boundary also needs to manage wind and exposure, a solid driveway gate behaves like a solid fence panel in a gust and should be braced with that in mind.

How do I stop a timber gate dropping over time?

Dropping is almost always a post or hinge problem rather than a timber problem. Check that the hinge post has not moved in its base, that both hinges are fixed into solid timber rather than a split or knotty section of the frame, and that the diagonal brace inside the gate frame runs from the bottom of the hinge side up to the top of the latch side, so it works in compression and pushes the latch corner up instead of letting it sag. A gate that already drops can often be corrected by adding or tightening this brace rather than rebuilding the whole frame. Keeping the frame treated matters too; see our notes on timber treatment and how fences weather for a maintenance routine that applies just as well to a gate.

Frequently asked questions

Does a garden gate need planning permission?

Only in the same situations as a fence of equal height: typically over one metre next to a highway, or over two metres elsewhere, or where listed building or conservation area restrictions apply.

Can I fit a gate into an existing fence without replacing the whole run?

Usually yes, provided the two posts either side of the opening are strong enough to be upgraded to gate posts. A narrow gate squeezed between two standard fence posts is one of the most common causes of early sagging.

How often should gate hinges be checked?

A twice-yearly check, alongside a general fence inspection, catches a loosening hinge or a slightly sunk post before the gate itself is damaged by dragging on the ground.

The bottom line

A garden gate is governed by the same height rules as the fence around it, so start with the Planning Portal's guidance if the gate will be tall or close to a highway. After that, the gate's long-term success comes down to a properly sized post set in a generous concrete base, hardware rated for the gate's real weight, and a frame matched to how hard the gate will actually be used. Spend the extra care on the post and the hinges, and the rest of the gate largely looks after itself.