Sorry, Pollylouise, not sure if you meant to include a photo - there isn't one, so don't know what you mean, can't diagnose anything without either seeing the problem or having a great deal more info...

From your question, I glean that you think it might be a conifer but aren't sure, and that its at the back of somewhere or something...

Please add photos or provide the following

What type of conifer is it?
How long have you had it?
Is it in a pot or in the ground?
Is the browning all over, or just particular branches, or only near the main trunk of the tree?

Thanks Bamboo. Sorry I thought I had added the picture! Tbh, I don't what it is but I can say that we have had it for about three or four years and yes, it is in a pot. There is another ( not in photo) which has developed the same thing. The plant is in itself healthy I think. It gets plenty of water and has good soil. I was wondering if there is a fungus common to this particular species? Sorry I can't tell you what species that is! Don't worry too much if you can't answer it - I was just curious. :)

Bit too far away, but it looks like Cupressus macrocarpa 'Wilma Goldcrest', and those brown parts will not now regrow or produce any new growth, a feature of the majority of conifers. Once a bit dies back, it dies back. It could just be that its in a pot and is rootbound (their time in pots is limited), it dried out at some point and sacrificed part of itself, or it has Cypress Aphid or some other problem - see link below for more info

https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=132

Whatever the cause, because those parts are now dead, its probably best to get rid of it.

Almost certainly dried out because the pot is on the small side for a tree of that size. There is no way that water can get into the pot because the whole of the soil surface is covered by the foliage and it can't draw anything up from the ground below.
If you only have the decking area and pots then you will probably be best saying goodbye to the conifer and using the pot to repot the climber in the small brown square pot.
If you have any open ground, cut off the lower branches and then plant the conifer in the ground - the lower section won't grow back but it may just rescue the rest of the tree. Use the pot for the climber, as above.

From this distance, its hard to be certain, but by the look of the foliage, its likely the climber in the smaller pot is actually a morning glory, which means its only an annual anyway, Urbanite, so no need to repot.

Looking at the way the shadows fall, I'd say lack of sun is the main reason.