Before you get to colour, material, or which smart app controls it, every electric gate project starts with one decision: should it slide or should it swing? Get this choice right and everything downstream — cost, planning permission, maintenance, even how well the gate suits a Victorian terrace versus a suburban driveway — falls into place. Get it wrong, and you can end up with a beautifully made gate that clips a parked car, eats into a tiny front garden, or fights against