Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

About my neighbour's building without planning permission?

29 replies

CaptainWizzle · 13/01/2019 14:08

So my partner and myself finally bought our first house just over a year ago. We're slowly doing it up and have loved living here! We have a great relationship with our neighbours either side but haven't had any real contact with the people who live on the street behind us.

This week the people who live in the house behind us (we share a boundary at the end of both our gardens) started building a structure in the back of their garden, only about 30cm (or maybe less) away from the fence we share. I felt slightly disappointed that they hadn't let us know, but I don't have any objections to them trying to improve their garden.

As the week went on it became clear that this wasn't a small garden shed or summerhouse but a huge outhouse or workshop with concrete base right up against the boundary of our garden. With the apex roof overhanging the walls, I'd guess the lip of the roof is probably only about 10cm away from the boundary. The total height of the structure looks to be about 11-12ft tall.

I've checked out the building regulations in my area, and a structure of this size, this close to the boundary definitely requires planning permission.

I've tried to talk to the builders putting it up but they didn't really want to discuss it with me, to the point of seemingly ceasing work whenever I go into the garden.
I've tried to contact the owners, and have called round the house to discuss it. They didn't answer the door despite definitely being in.

The only real options for me are to let the structure go up, or to report them to the local council, ensuring a toxic relationship with them for as long as we live here. The structure itself isn't hugely offensive, but does dominate the view from our garden, as well making our already small garden feel very closed in. We also have no idea what the building will be used for, something that would have become apparent if planning permission had been obtained.

Other neighbours have expressed their concerns to me, and one in particular is largely impacted by it's location, but it does feel like as it's right up against my boundary it's my responsibility to make the complaint.

Am I overreacting or does this seem like a legitimate concern?

OP posts:

Wineandrosesagain · 13/01/2019 14:10

Definitely make a complaint and do it sooner rather than later. Your neighbours should too.

Confusedbeetle · 13/01/2019 14:11

Express your concerns to the planning Dept

Lucisky · 13/01/2019 14:11

Legitimate concern. Contact your local planning office about it.

UnconsideredTrifles · 13/01/2019 14:12

Sounds like a legitimate concern to me, since it affects your enjoyment of your home. Don't bother talking to the builders - they have no control over what they're building so they won't be able to help.

It sounds like you're not going to have a great relationship with your neighbour either way so you might as well approach the planning department about it.

RhiWrites · 13/01/2019 14:13

You could Writer your neighbours a letter if you’d like to do them the courtesy of letting them reply first. You don’t have to and it probably won’t help molify them, but it is an option.

Daffodil2018 · 13/01/2019 14:14

I’d probably put a note through the door asking them to give me a call within the next week, then go to the council if I didn’t hear back.

llangennith · 13/01/2019 14:18

Contact your Council's planning department asap and they'll put a 'stop' on it immediately if it requires planning permission. Don't bother talking to the offending neighbour about as they know perfectly well they're in the wrong.

DeRigueurMortis · 13/01/2019 14:20

Yes report it.

I'm not sure why your concerned about having a good relationship with them going forward - they clearly don't care about upsetting you....

krustykittens · 13/01/2019 14:48

Report it. They clearly do not want to engage with you at all so you are wasting your time trying to talk to them. If they get upset about being reported you could point out that you tried to talk to them before you went to the council. But it sounds like you are going to have to do it anyway as that sounds very big and permanent.

Hoopaloop · 13/01/2019 14:50

Are you sure it hasn't got planning permission?

I'd have no problem reporting to planning enforcement. As above, they may not be too bothered whether they upset you or not.

Nomorechickens · 13/01/2019 14:54

Report it immediately. Let the council deal with it. Make sure you chase them up to make sure they are taking action.

TheNoodlesIncident · 13/01/2019 15:01

"Outbuildings must be single storey with a maximum ridge height of 4m for a pitched roof or 3 m for any other kind of roof. The eaves height must be no more than 2.5m. If the outbuilding is closer to the boundary than 2 metres it shall be no higher than 2.5 metres."

They should have had the courtesy to tell you about their plans though, since it is so close to your boundary. We have a home office at the bottom of our garden, before it was built we talked to the neighbours behind about it. They were OK about it and asked if we minded their building an extension on their house (we didn't naturally). That is the considerate way of doing this.

GladAllOver · 13/01/2019 15:09

There's no point at all in contacting them. You've tried that.
Give your council planning office a call in the morning.

UnderMajorDomoMinor · 13/01/2019 15:11

You and your neighbour should report. Builders clearly know it’s dodgy. They won’t instantly name you to back neighbour!

randomchap · 13/01/2019 15:23

Report to the council. They obviously know it's dodgy as they're avoiding you.

icelolly99 · 13/01/2019 15:34

Have you searched on line with your local council to find out it definitely doesn't have planning permission? All planning applications are easy to find online.

mothertruck3r · 13/01/2019 15:35

They are probably planning to rent it out and then you will have a load of people living in squalid conditions at the bottom of your garden!

WhereYouLeftIt · 13/01/2019 15:37

Report it immediately.

W0rriedMum · 13/01/2019 15:44

Talk to planning at your council urgently.

However it might fall under permitted development. A friend has a similar structure go up, she got nowhere talking to the resident who claimed not to speak English but in the end of the day, the "gym" was built anyhow under permitted development. She swears that someone regularly lives in it, so it is actually an overflow house for visitors.

LIZS · 13/01/2019 15:56

You would not necessarily have been a consultee if pp were required. It may just fall within permitted garden buildings not requiring formal approval. Buildings regs can be applied to a structure not requiring pp and differ to planning requirements. I would also not hold your breath for a stop notice or enforcement, that is a very stretched resource at our local council. If it is non compliant they may simply be advised to apply retrospectively. If council seem reluctant to act try your local councillor.

LipstickforFish · 13/01/2019 15:59

It sounds like it might be a permitted development.

We are looking at having a garden office built and so long as it's under a certain size and height, we don't need planning permission - we don't even need to mention it to the neighbours if we don't want to.

Original poster

CaptainWizzle · 13/01/2019 17:28

Thanks everyone for the replies. I'm glad the consensus seems to be that we're not overreacting! Just to confirm a couple of details that people have noted:

I have checked online to see if planning permission has been submitted. Nothing from that house has been submitted (I also checked the records from that street, again nothing that matches). I phoned the council to double check, and they confirmed that nothing at that address had been submitted.

The building definitely doesn't fall under permitted development and breaches this clause "If within 2 metres of the property boundary the whole building should not exceed 2.5 metres". I also checked this when on the phone with the council and they confirmed the building was too tall and required planning permission.

It seems like our only real option now is to escalate things with a complaint to the council, which I'll make tomorrow morning.
Thanks again everyone for your help and opinions.

OP posts:

greendale17 · 13/01/2019 17:29

^I would do this

GladAllOver · 13/01/2019 17:42

Good for you, Captain.

doradoo · 13/01/2019 17:50

Do report it - before you know it there’ll be someone living i)n it.

There was another MNetter a couple of years back who had a neighbour put up a shed/gym in the garden and I’m sure it ended up as a dwelling.

Flip

1 2

Swipe left for the next trending thread