Dunstable couple fight plans to fence-off their home

The couple have lived in their house, a former police house on the school grounds, for 20 years

A couple have said they "feel sick" as they fight plans to have their home fenced-off by a neighbouring school.

Sharon and Mark Gobey have lived in a house within the grounds of Hadrian Academy in Dunstable for 20 years.

The school submitted plans to Central Bedfordshire Council to surround the house with a 5.9ft (1.8m) metal fence.

In a statement, the school said the planning application would be "determined by Central Bedfordshire Council in due course."

Mrs Gobey said: "We'll be imprisoned, basically. It'll look like we're institutionalised from my living room."

The couple had an artist create an image to demonstrate what the planned fence could look like

The couple's semi-detached home used to be a police house and the property next-door was for the school's caretakers.

They were told about the plans to fence-off their home on 21 September.

"We had a knock on the door to say the school was looking at moving the fence as there was a possible safeguarding issue," Mrs Gobey recalled.

However they said Ofsted had informed them it has not made any recommendations for safeguarding, which was rated as effective during an inspection.

The couple have three vehicles on their driveway which they said they would not be able to access if the fence is erected.

Sharon and Mark Gobey said the proposed fence will make it difficult to access their charge point for their electric car

Mrs Gobey said the situation had caused stress and she was not eating or sleeping.

"I feel sick, I wake up between four and five in the morning. I can't get back to sleep because I'm panic-stricken constantly," she said.

She cried as she told BBC Three Counties Radio: "I wouldn't wish this on anybody, it's a horrible feeling."

Independent Dunstable Town councillor Louise O'Riordan has tried to negotiate with the school on behalf of the couple.

She had a meeting with the school on Thursday that lasted for more than an hour which she described as "a difficult conversation."

"They were not too open to other options that might be a compromise and didn't seem to really understand how this was affecting Mrs Gobey in particular," she said.

The school said: "The boundary line and fencing is subject to a planning application"

Mr and Mrs Gobey would like to see any new fence moved further away from their home and erected on Central Bedfordshire council land to look like the rest of Hadrian Avenue.

They said that solution would allowed access to their driveway where they park an electric car which required a charge point.

Hadrian Academy said in a statement: "The boundary line and fencing is subject to a planning application that will be determined by Central Bedfordshire Council in due course."