New neighbour using my private garden...

[Wattyyyy]

...

OMG!! Just read through the thread. What a cheek and also bookmarking!!

But OP has just said it's listed building!!! That makes it even worse surely, knocking a hole in a listed building is a whole different matter. Watching with interest. Good luck OP.

Sorry, hadn't noticed how long this thread was and how much I'd missed, yes, straight to planning dept. You can ( after enforcement) be sent to the crown court for listed building works without consent.

Good luck!

It sounds like the builders know it's illegal, hence coming in mob handed, and hoping to be in and out while the O/P was at work. If things had gone to plan you would have returned home to a fait accompli (in your neighbour's minds).

It is outrageous behaviour, O/P you should get onto the council now, don't wait until you have spoken to the neighbours - it doesn't sound like they are reasonable people. Not only is it a gross intrusion of your privacy but it is also an act of vandalism on our national heritage, which listed buildings are part of.

Do you get legal advice with your home insurance? If yes give them a ring after you've rang the planning office.

You can get up to 2 years in prison and/or unlimited fine depending what you have done.

Ignorance of needing permission is not a defence that can be used in court. Anyone involved owner , tenant and builder can be prosecuted if it can be proved they initiated or approved of the works.

That is mental! Hopefully planning department will help you on this one.

I would have thought the builders had contacted the owner by now.

That's outrageous! Sounds like the builders knew it wasn't right be running off and taking their names off the doors. I would be furious. Added to that it's a listed building! I'd contact the council and planning etc!

I'd love a diagram as I'm so inept at visualising stuff and I've not lived in a flat.

Cheeky bastards though. Mumsnet needs a cheeky fucker section.

Also if you get the council involved you will not have to personally confront your neighbours, the council officers will do that and they are used to dealing with these situations. I'm sure in a case like this they will take it all the way.

If it's listed you can stop works mid way. We have had the Council come down near our way when something is going on and neighbours make an urgent report. They do come out and they do intervene and stop works which have started.

Just popped back in to ask whether your photos include readable details of the builders stickers, hence giving you the ability to identify them going forward? If so, them removing them before leaving was a waste of time!!

Still following ....

Seems likely the new owners next door stupidly assumed it was a shared garden and didn't realise it is your private property

Even if this was the case, they would need permission from the freeholder and the management company, and they should let the neighbours know

Let alone the planning permission AND the listed buildings consent that is required

You can't explain this away as a bit of an oversight! And the builders first question should be 'are all the correct permissions in place for the work?' which should have at least triggered the question 'what permissions?' if it was genuine ignorance

Well done for being so calm OP.
If it's dust from new concrete/mortar used to set the new doors, remove it from your new BBQ asap before it sets solid.
If it's old listed brick dust then leave it for the cheeky feckers neighbours to clean up.

I live in a 2* listed building. The new people upstairs had to have the council planning people round to agree any internal work they wanted done, never mind internal. And nice French upvc doors on a listed building would be a complete nono.

Yumyum, you couldn't have made it up with regard to my Gran's neighbours. They had handed all the construction stuff for the paddling pool over the fence, and then had filled it with my Gran's outside tap and hose!

You should put a massive cascading fountain waterfall feature thing right outside their doors to block their view, all they will see is water lol

Bloody hell! I really hope OP is on the phone to the Council and not clearing up.

Make sure you look carefully for any damage done to your property and plants OP.

I really hope OP is on the phone to the council and planning

I know they are CF but prison - that is a bit ott

The absolute cheeky fuckers!

Think they know exactly what they're doing

Hope you get it sorted OP, i'm absolutely fuming for you!

I can't get over how cheeky some people are 🙄 I hope they don't get angry with you you OP!

Outraged on your behalf OP! Trying to give the neighbours the benefit of the doubt and thinking perhaps they hadn't realised it wasn't communal but to be honest I don't see how they can fail to realise that. There's a reason they didn't have access to begin with!

And yy the builders do sound incredibly shifty.
Hope you get it sorted - I'd take the advice of previous posters and contact the relevant bodies asap.

Wow! I can not believe this. Did your photos include the name/details of the builder/company Watt? I hope so!

And DEF the neighbours should clear up the mess. Outrageous.

Please let us know how they react. Can't think they'll be happy with a half-finished job in any case. Or had the builders more-or-less finished?

Hopefully the owners will be reasonable. Otherwise, report, report, report!

I suppose I just thought it sounded like stupidity rather than deliberate action hoping she wouldn't notice or care! Waiting for an update from OP though!!

Wow that's daft Of them!!! You need to have words urgently and send a letter (take a copy) asking them to clear the mess and not to enter your garden. Is it fenced off?