to build an extension to my house.

[marbymarby]

I want to build an extension onto my kitchen to form a new dining room. It will extend 4m from the house wall and be 2m from the boundary of neighbors garden (semi detached). It will have a pitched roof (single storey) and a door leading from it into garden and steps down to patio. The neighbors think I am being unreasonable and that they they will loose light into their bay window (which is next to boundary wall) AIBU???

Have you followed your local authority planning rules? We were turned down for a similar extension because of crossing an imaginary line that extends at 45 degrees from the neighbours closet window.

We had a similar problem and found this site really helpful

www.planningportal.gov.uk/permission/

Our application was initially recommended for refusal however it was granted at committee with conditions. If you impinge on a neighbours view from a primary window at a 45 degree angle you will struggle to get it passed

"Make one of the bedrooms into a playroom?"

That's what we did.

I am diappointed at the number of replies from inconsiderate householders on here who have no consideration towards their neighbours at all. If our neighbours extended sufficiently to reduce the amount of light to our house I would move. I have an excellent relationship with our neighbours and would hate to upset them in any way.

How many people currently live in your house is irrelevant. Many houses have enough bedroom space for a number of people, but not enough space downstairs to accommodate the different needs of the inhabitants - especially in terms of the kitchen area.

I'd advise phoning your planning department and ask if you can visit them and have an informal chat with a planning officer. Maybe take along a printout from Google Earth showing an aerial view of your house and your area, with a sketch of what you'd like to do, with any other information including your neighbour's response. Good planning departments offer a preliminary chat (and sometimes a site visit) because it helps them advise potential applicants on how best to proceed before it gets to the paperwork stage. And they can advise on whether your neighbours could have a legitimate objection and what you could do about that.

We have an excellent relationship with all of our neighbours too.

However none of them told us what we were and weren't "allowed" to do when we extended, and when they extended we didn't dictate to them whether they needed the additional space or not.

Possibly because we are all friendly, kind and normal

OP - would you be happy to have a slightly angled roof so that water drains instead of pitched or are the neighbours insisting on level flat?

I have a great relationship with our neighbours, presumably because I wouldn't presume to tell them how much space they are entitled to and vice versa.

Similarly, it isn't the concern of the planners. I was speaking with a planner friend this avo and this thread had piqued my curiosity, she said that they certainly would never consider turning down an application because they deemed the occupants didn't need the space, let alone laughing at it as has been suggested here.

I care about my neighbours, but I care about my family more.

However, op it sounds like there may be some room for compromise here...make it a bit smaller perhaps and demonstrate some concessions to keep the peace?