In some housing schemes you are not allowed to fence off your frontage. If you do not already have a fence then you are probably not allowed one, but check it out with the councils planning department. If you are not allowed a fence, ask if you can place a few decorative boulders as landscaping.

In similar situations here in the desert, people also use artistic arrangements of concrete spheres--same principle, but more futuristic.

Amazing - are they actually mounting the pavement to do this?

This is supposed to be an open-plan area and we are not allowed fences out the front, but I got round it by planting a few shrubs which have 'inadvertently' filled out into a nice hedge and the people opposite have also planted a proper hedge of conifers which is quite high. No complaints have been made so far. One person has actually flouted the rule entirely and erected a wooden fence in the front between himself and his neighbour and nothing has been said and it has been there about 5 years now.
Maybe some strategically placed scratchy shrubs would work for you?

Bit of a misunderstanding if planning law here. It makes no difference if it is the side, back or front garden, if a garden is adjacent to a road then a new fence should not be more than 1 metre tall along the road. A 2 foot fence can be added anywhere (unless listed).

The local planning department is not is going to enforce 'open plan' front gardens even if it is stated in your deeds as long as the 1 metre restriction as per above is observed.

Sorry to disagree Kildermorie But our planners do enforce the rules around here.

DRC726, you need to update your knowledge. Under permitted development home owners can erect a fence without planning permission. No planning department will ask you to remove a fence that is under 1 metre (actually 1.2). You 100% never need planning permission to erect a hedge as it is not a permanent structure, as long as it is your own land.

I am only too well aware of the planning laws in the SE of the UK thank-you. This part of the village even made the local news over the enforcement of frontages after the floods.

Concordantly, unless East Sussex has its own legislation (it does not), The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 covers the erection of fences. Even if in a conservation village or a building which is listed by the relevant conservation body such as English Heritage, a wooden fence can be built as it only covers the erection/demolition of walls. A fence is a temporary structure remember.

Lets agree to differ and not spoil this persons question?

That turned into something nasty and probably didn't help Hotbird54 but I'd like to add my two pen'orth!
Many of the houses on a housing estate near me are governed by a restrictive covenant contained in the deeds and the fencing (or, in this case, not) of front gardens.
Very similar to the covenant that my mother took on with her bungalow in Sussex: "No part of these premises shall be used at any time or in any fashion for the brewing, vinification or distillation of any beverage or other product which would result in the beverage or product containing alcohol". She made her wine in next door's garage!
Since, Hotbird, you can't build a fence there are lots of good suggestions above - just check what restrictions are actually in your deeds (which are likely to be held by your the company providing your mortgage).