Mid terraced house - next door planning three storey extension

[BeverlyGoldberg]

We live in a mid terraced house. We get on really well with neighbours on both sides.

Next door on one side are a father and son. The mother / wife lived elsewhere until recently but they have now got back together. They are fairly elderly, in their 80s.

She has sold her house and the plan is for the house next door to be extended to encompass an existing ground floor extension, then extending the first floor and second floor, to create bedroom/ensuite in the loft for the son, with a dormer window.

We have a ground floor extension so the ground floor wouldn't matter too much but in our back bedroom this would effectively block the majority of light. The sun rises in that direction and we currently have a decent view over some moorland. We would lose the view and most of our light, and basically have a brick wall for a view which would drastically effect quality of life and resale value.

The son reckons he has a friend who is a builder who can "get round planning permission". This worries me.

My question is - how likely is this to go ahead? Should we say something now? Wait until they apply? Will we be informed when they apply or do we just have to see searching the local authority page? How do we object?

To add to the woes, the mother is a tricky character. She has been giving us all sorts of stuff as she is clearing her house out but has also been quite rude to both me and my husband (separately). Since she has been on the scene more there have been some terrible arguments which we can hear quite clearly (having never heard a peep from the house previously). The father has texted my husband twice to apologise for noise and language.

Just FYI - selling our house isn't an option.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

No right to a view.
Light is tricky you need to take photos now.
We’ve had an architect out for an extension, who is friendly with the council and able to work around any planning issues. But we only have the one, very awkward neighbour.
Any other houses in your street have similar extensions? That’s what they will look for.

The end terrace has a similar extension, although not as big, and not the full width of the property. Their house has a different layout though as their front door is on the side of the terrace, if that makes sense. My concern is that they won't actually apply for planning permission and will just go ahead, leaving us no avenue for objection.

If they go ahead without PP just report them!

Don't most councils have a 'right to light/45degree' rule?

Thanks all. I think what has freaked me out is the son saying his builder friend can get round planning permission. I really feel backed into a corner by them and my DD's room will be a dungeon if they go ahead.

We don't want to fall out with them but they must see that it would have a huge impact on our quality of life and the value of our property.

The neighbours need planning permission. There are permitted development rights available for two storey (look at the details on Planning Portal), three storey new build would need permission. Right to light has to be established in court, but most planners use the 45 degree rule. Simplest way to check is to roughly draw a floor plan of yours and your neighbours house. Draw on the footprint of the extension. Then take a point midway on your windows that are nearest. These must be habitable rooms. Draw on a line at 45 degrees toward the extension. If any part of that extension is within that triangle, light will be effected. You can also say the the mass of the extension is overwhelming and will impact your amenity.

Be careful if sending in an objection - property value is not a material consideration in planning (neither is the type of person the applicant is) Keep comments factual - scale, mass, design, proximity, amenity and whether site can take the level of extension proposed...

No builder can "get round" planning permission op, that's just bollocks. I would phone your councils planning department now and ask what the guidance is for blocking light etc. That info is probably buried somewhere on the council website too.

Not all Council's actually write to neighbours these days as it costs so much. There should be a site notice displayed if they don't, but really it's safer to check the website each week. Some Council's have a system where you can subscribe to the weekly list of applications so check that out.

Once an application is valid, you have 21 days to object, although most Council's will accept representation s after that date up until their report is written.

Loss of light is a valid objection, as is visual dominance and loss of outlook (not the same as a view, which you don't have a right to).

If PP is required, there is no 'way round' it. Keep an eye open and get onto the Council as soon as anything happens - Planning Enforcement.

If you can find your Council's Local Plan on the website, that should set out the policies that they use to assess new development, including residential extensions.

Is your house extended to two storey ? If so then you’re unlikely to succeed in stopping it

Also the third floor sounds like just utilising roof space ? Again I’d imagine if the sight line of the property is at consistent height with the houses on the street then it will be given too

You mean they are doing a loft conversion? Is that right?

I don’t think it will be as bad as you make out, as loft conversions are quite common on Victorian terraces.

@Atalune

You mean they are doing a loft conversion? Is that right?

I don’t think it will be as bad as you make out, as loft conversions are quite common on Victorian terraces.

Read the OP...

Our house is extended to a single storey - as is theirs - and the majority of other houses on the row.

What they are proposing is to build on that single story - which is about 3 metres out from the original footprint... and go up two further storeys.

They would be converting the loft (we have no issue with this at all) but then building out 3 metres from the loft, with a dormer window - creating an extended middle floor (to 3 metres out) and this would marry up with the existing downstairs extension. It's the middle floor that would affect us the most as it would block off most of the light to our DD's bedroom.

None of the houses on our row have a second floor extension. The end terrace has a three storey extension but that has a different footprint as their house faces sideways. Also the end terrace's extension is only half the width of their property - next door are proposing a full width extension.

@BeverlyGoldberg You can contact the Planning Department yourself, tomorrow, to register your concerns and start a dialogue about registering a formal objection.

Ask one of your three local councillors to do the same on your behalf. If the rules are still the same as I remember, a local councillor can force a decision to go to committee.

Thank you so much for all your replies - I'll give the Planning department a call in the morning and write to my councillor.

I have just looked at the historic planning permission for the end terrace and discovered that it is in fact two storeys and not three. I really can't see them getting planning permission for even two as no one else of the mod terraces as two. I guess the end terrace is classed as a semi detached.

Even if someone else in your terrace has extended previously, it doesn’t automatically mean that planning permission is granted for other houses - each case has to be decided on its own merits. Ask to be notified when the permission is submitted.

Thanks will do.

I think they look to whether it would fit in with the rest of the properties which it definitely wouldn't.

The neighbours on the other side of their house have only been there a few weeks and I doubt they know anything about it.