Is flying St George flag illegal?

[rhoscun21]

I have a house with lovely views overlooking river trees etc.. One of my neighbours outbuildings backs onto my garden and they have recently errected a St George Flag on a pole so that it is visible from any window I look out of. Nothing against the flag or people wanting to fly one bit just didn't want it in the middle on my scenic view! They have refused to move it to a less conspicuous place and now I'm not sure what to do. I have been told that it is illegal to fly the flag. Is this true and if so what can I do to get it moved?

[MustafaTickl]

Your only hope is that it breaches some regulation of your Local Authority, so firstly speak to your local Planning Department to see if it needs consent. If it does and it has been erected without consent then your Enforcement Officer is the man to get it removed. If it does not then I'm afraid that you are stuck with it as there is no legal right to a view.

[Ethel]

A. Under Schedule 1 Class H of the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) (England) Regulations 2007, national flags, the flags of the Commonwealth, European Union, the United Nations, English counties and certain saints can be flown without the express consent of local authorities as long as they satisfy the standard conditions for the display of advertisements generally and the conditions and limitations set out within Class H itself.

For saints' flags, the conditions are that they can only be flown in the county with which the saint is associated. If any of these flags are to be flown no further planning permission is needed for the flagpole, however it may be required if other flags are to be flown.

[rhoscun21]

Sorry Ethel, in your last paragraph it says can only be flown in county that Saint is associated with - is that def county or country? If so looks like there's not a lot I can do! Thanks anyway

[Ethel]

Country, obviously.

So if you are in Wales, Scotland or Ireland then he can't fly the St George flag.

Sorry for the confusion. :)

[thefoosa]

must be one hell of a massive flag to be blocking ya view

[jake-the-peg]

http://www.culture.gov.uk/flagflying/faqs.htm

Additionally I believe you don't need planning permission if the flag pole is less than 5.5 m tall.

Personally I'd sneak out there one night and run the EU flag up his pole - he'll probably have a seisure next morning ;c)

[Ethel]

Complain too much and he could well exchange one flag pole for two or three leylandii.

[NORMANTHEDOG]

i suspect your not english then.

[rhoscun21]

Am English thanks and have nothing against the flag just find it a bit tacky and common to be truthful! Will just have to learn to live with it not worth getting into a dispute over! Thanks for all your advice and view points!

[CushtyFred]

Shut ya fishy lips rhoscun21, before I gel on down ya gaff and paint the St Georges flag on the front of ya house moosh!

[jno]

he's also the patron saint of Lithuania, Lebanon, field workers and syphilitics, so it's hard to get away from him really.

[jake-the-peg]

CushtyFred's post has been brought to you today by Carlsberg - supplying liquid courage to the moronic since 1863

[rhoscun21]

Guess that told me thanks! Nothing against it my dog is called George! Just don't want it waving infront of my face literally! Never mind bigger things in world to worry about !

[doirecormac]

Doesn't matter if Rhoscun isn't English - neither was St George - was he not Turkish?

In the North of Ireland there are problems with flags flying from quite a lot of lamp-posts - on both sides of the religious divide (as they like to say!!) - they still look tacky no matter what flag it is - it's only done to antagonise 'the other side'........normally put up by mindless morons in the middle of the night....

[lady_p_gold]

blimey don't move to America there are American flags waving from every other house !!!

[ItIsOnlyMe]

It a bit common? Really? How many other houses do you see flying the national flag of the country you live in on an average day?

One I suspect........