Reply to: Objecting to neighbours planning application

[DoctorStrangelove]

You are Wilmslow and will end up with a horse's head in your bed.

[hairymouse]

Just in case anyone is bored and will read anything, I'll update what actually happened:

The neighbours indeed wanted to move back in and make a huge extension completely blocking all of our light. They came over several times to talk about their plans, but essentially wouldn't change from the giant brick wall plan simply because they thought they didn't have to. Fortunately, we have a management association who care about what changes people make to their property and because of old political reasons they all hated this guy and objected to everything. We had a contentious AGM where we got everyone to vote against the neighbour. They sold the house and never lived there, just being entitled assholes cost them many thousands of pounds.

Now we've got a new neighbour, I'll start a new thread with a new question.

[hairymouse]

Be nice - they're moving back and good neighbours are invaluable. Mention that unfortunately you'd have to object to anything that caused significant blockage of light but that you'll have to wait to see the new plans before you could decide how much that is. If it's in their minds that you will definitely be objecting to significant blockage of light, they won't throw good money after bad to try and get something in place that won't be allowed to be built.

I'm paying a lot of attention to your "Be nice" advice. I don't want to have a fued with new neighbors either.

I've documented all the ways that this extension will block the light and mocked up some illustrations and sent it to the owners in a very nice email that says if they reduce the depth from 3.86m to 2m or come up with some way to allow light through it will be acceptable to us. I've also told them that I'll be objecting to the application as it stands now but it doesn't mean we'll object to everything.

[LondonManc]

Here's and update:
Yesterday I had a knock at the door and it was the owners. They do indeed plan on moving back in and were anxious to make nice. They don't want to create a huge fight with their neighbours, but they also want a huge light blocking extension. They also revealed that they were having problems with the management association that is also not keen on the extension because it doesn't match all the other ones. I've got an email for them now and we have agreed to talk.

Should I still immediately object to the current application? Even if the neighbors agree to change the design, won't they have to submit a new app or change the old one? I don't want to poison the relationship but I'm objecting to that one no matter what.

One more thing - I got a scammy looking letter yesterday from a bunch of surveyors asserting that I should force the neighbours to pay for a survey under the party wall act. Is this something I should consider?

Be nice - they're moving back and good neighbours are invaluable. Mention that unfortunately you'd have to object to anything that caused significant blockage of light but that you'll have to wait to see the new plans before you could decide how much that is. If it's in their minds that you will definitely be objecting to significant blockage of light, they won't throw good money after bad to try and get something in place that won't be allowed to be built.

[Hobosapien]

If considering your own extension to stay on equal footing with the neighbours, do a deal with them where you get two for price of 1.5 and split the cost.

May mean going for same type of extension so same materials and process for the builder to make some savings to pass on.

[hairymouse]

Update

Here's and update:
Yesterday I had a knock at the door and it was the owners. They do indeed plan on moving back in and were anxious to make nice. They don't want to create a huge fight with their neighbours, but they also want a huge light blocking extension. They also revealed that they were having problems with the management association that is also not keen on the extension because it doesn't match all the other ones. I've got an email for them now and we have agreed to talk.

Should I still immediately object to the current application? Even if the neighbors agree to change the design, won't they have to submit a new app or change the old one? I don't want to poison the relationship but I'm objecting to that one no matter what.

One more thing - I got a scammy looking letter yesterday from a bunch of surveyors asserting that I should force the neighbours to pay for a survey under the party wall act. Is this something I should consider?

[GreenMirror]

Most of the NIMBY arguments to reject planning have been removed. Infact the permitted development is quite large, it might be that the far extension requires planning but the conservatory -> brick extension does not but is listed on the planning application for completeness.

The last time I faced a similar problem with my neighbour adding a huge extension, I ended up selling and moving on to a better house.

I thought you turned the property into a slum with lots of DHSSers.

[LondonManc]

Can you give me more detail?

While the 45-degree rule itself is a bit nebulous, this doc should give you a good idea about right to light:
https://www.123plans.co.uk/uploads/f...htstolight.pdf

[BlasterBates]

I would expect loss of light to be a perfectly reasonable objection that would be looked into. For example, I can't imagine that a back garden permanently in the shade is an acceptable situation.

[hairymouse]

In terms of loss of light, the 45 degree rule is your friend.

Can you give me more detail?

[hairymouse]

Big thanks to all that replied. I might post again in a more specialist forum but some of the responses have been extremely helpful. I'm going to take northernladuk's advice to create some real evidence of how it will actually look and how much view and light will be blocked. I'll also talk to my councillor soon as HugeWhale suggested.

I don't know the answer about why the improvements are taking place when the place is rented out. I can only think that the current tenenents are leaving and the owner is moving in. I'm going to pop around and talk to them, they might be in for a surprise.

And yes, it dawned on me last night that what I should do first is contact the owner and try to communicate with them. If they were reduce the roofline just where it counts to us, and make it more transparent, we wouldn't object. If they actually are planning on moving on, I can't imagine they would want to start with a feud with the neighbours.

[LondonManc]

In terms of loss of light, the 45 degree rule is your friend.

[Lockhouse]

Oh come on, no one is going to talk to their neighbours. Maybe rant on Twitter and Facebook about it?

He's going to be as sick as a parrot when my 20'x20' carport, for which I don't require planning, goes up next year.

[DimPrawn]

I would suggest doing your best to make contact with your neighbour and telling him you're going to object and why - this can save a lot of time and you might come to an acceptable compromise. If you do object make your objection as strong as possible - if you have a fallback position, suggest it in the objection.

Oh come on, no one is going to talk to their neighbours. Maybe rant on Twitter and Facebook about it?

[Lockhouse]

I went through exactly the same thing lately. It's a long read but a similar situation.

My neighbour wanted to build a conservatory on the opposite side of his house and to add another garage up to our fence on the other side which faces our side door. He came and spoke to me about it so we both went round to have a look. The garage was a tight fit. It wouldn't match the rest of the house and it would have to be set back in order to both clear our boundary and be wide enough to get a car in. I didn't like it but it's his house - his is already an overdeveloped plot but we've got plenty of space so I thought "go ahead". I said in theory I had no problem if it followed the original lines of the house but that I really didn't want a double height brick wall right up against our fence - could he tell me what the roofline would be? He said "He'd have to check". I thought "very odd that he doesn't know....".

Next day plans for a garage with double height brick wall went in with the council. He had obviously already decided what the roofline was but didn't want to tell me. I went round to see him and said that I'd be objecting. I also said that nothing personal but I'd be objecting in the strongest terms to ensure planning was denied. If he'd have been straight with me, it could have all been sorted out there and then but he obviously knew what his plans were when I asked and thought I wouldn't check.

I googled "reasons for objecting" and wrote a very strong letter to the council. I didn't object to the conservatory - I said I had no problems with it but had a real issue with the additional garage. His application was eventually granted but he was a) asked to amend the garage roofline to what I originally wanted and b) not able to use his garage for commercial purposes (he's a car dealer) so I managed to get some things altered.

So in time, the builders started work on this extension. They stuffed it up and built the wall so close to the fence that he's now unable to fit a roof on it as it would overhang the boundary. It's been like that for two years.

I would suggest doing your best to make contact with your neighbour and telling him you're going to object and why - this can save a lot of time and you might come to an acceptable compromise. If you do object make your objection as strong as possible - if you have a fallback position, suggest it in the objection.