To ask for help objecting to a proposed build

[QuestionableMouse]

I live in a row of houses that has a playing field on one side and farmland on the other. Part of the farmland is currently being built on with a development of 70 houses. I objected to that as did most of the village to no avail.

Now the council want to build 40 houses on the playing field. This will block access to my back garden and will mean my house is overlooked (the plans drafted show the new houses will have parking that's basically right against my fence.)

Its basically doubling the size of the village. There's no plan to manage the extra traffic (each house has parking for 2 cars plus visitor parking so in the region of 300 extra cars). The access currently isn't great and can get blocked in bad weather.

No one in the village wanted either development (including the parish Council) but the Borough Council overruled the objections. Its going to totally change the village. Please can you help me object?

What do you suggest people do about the lack of house building in this country OP?

Nimbyism at its finest

It's quite difficult as the borough councils are set targets for new homes by the government and of course they have to be built somewhere.

There's lots of advice online about the best way to object. My advice would be to keep it objective, stick to facts and offer no opinions. Overlooking, noise and smells (car exhaust fumes) are all valid reasons to object. You probably won't stop them being built but you can do what you can to lessen the impact.

I live in an area where there has been a lot of new building particularly in the past 20 years. A lot of those "incomers" have turned out to be a wonderful addition to the community with their skills and ideas. We've all benefited in various ways as a result. Progress is not necessarily a bad thing.

Building new homes isn't really the problem, it's lack of adequate services like schools, doctors etc to support the extra people that's the problem. Are they building new schools too? I doubt it.

They've built probably over 1000 new houses in this area. No new schools. No new GPs. Hospital over run with patients. In fact with the schools they actually shut a few classes as they had no teachers.

I can see ops point when they do nothing about anything else. It's beyond stupid, but they can't see it.

Op - I sympathise unlike daft Nimbyism comments.
Unfortunately the cards are stacked heavily against you. There are only a few highly esoteric grounds for objection that would not be instantly dismissed by planners - they only have a very small list of stuff they have to take note of.
Even if the council turn it down, developers can appeal until it's passed - that's what happens around here.
We have had 3000+ houses approved in a small town of 10K inhabitants with ZERO provision for any extra or improved roads, public transport (the buses are actually being cut back) schools or doctors. Unfortunately anyone who points this out is just dismissed as a useless nimby tosser.
We have lost some formerly fantastic wildlife habitats and now we and the new residents have to sit in traffic jams every day trying to go to work.
The "planning" system in this country is a total fucking joke.
In our case the houses were shoved here rather than the actually much better served (by transport) area where our local MP and her cronies live.

What does the Local Plan say about development in your area? You need to familiarise yourself with that and the NPPF to see if the proposal is in anyway contrary to the legislation, otherwise you stand little chance of a successful objection

I didn't ask for judgement about the situation, more advice. There are multiple sites in the village that wouldn't have such a bad impact on the community.

It's the only playing field in the village and if the houses are built it means the play equipment will be demolished.

To put it more in perspective there are 30 houses currently in my street.

There's a need for more homes for various reasons I think they should be built.

Ive never objected in my local area and in fact i say they're not building enough to cater for the growing local population especially as Londoners are being sent here by their council's!

The only objections that count are based on violations of planning laws or the local plan. Find yours and find the relevant breaches.
Overlooking could definitely be one although having a car park against your fence might not qualify—
www.planningni.gov.uk/index/policy/planning_statements_and_supplementary_planning_guidance/pps07_addendum/pps07_addendum_annexes/pps07_addendum_annexa/pps07_addendum_annexa-2/pps07_addendum_annexa-3.htm

Find out what the Council's Transport officer has to say about the parking/road issues.

Get onto your local Councillor for further advice and to find out their position. They will have (slightly) more sway than you, particularly if they are on one of the relevant committees. They could request that the application is decided by the Development Committee (councillors) rather than the planning officers.

Good luck!

We need to build new houses. Where would you prefer? Instead of objecting to needed homes why not campaign for infrastructure to be built with it. I live somewhere where many houses are being built but no new doctors or schools, that’s the issue, not the houses

Also, if you think the Council has ignored a relevant planning issue you have the option to make a legal challenge against the Council. A bunch of residents near where I live did this recently and got a major development overturned.
www.somersetlive.co.uk/in-your-area/victory-foxhill-residents-after-judge-1695031

The nearest town doesn't have a hospital, the village school is already at capacity and the additional traffic is really worrying me. There's already been one nasty accident between a lorry and a car that ended up with a pregnant lady being admitted to hospital. (the lorry driver was speeding)

I know you don't have a right to views but I'll be going from a rural outlook to a view into another house. Plus rather than having access from the playing field, I'll only have access from the street. It's going to have a huge impact on everyone in the street. It's also going to knock a huge amount of value off my house.

The housing that is currently being built has devastated the site--every tree and hedge has been hacked down, the wildlife has been displaced and there's mud everywhere.

Honestly it's hard to describe how awful it is to a rural community. One of my neighbours has decided to sell up and move. They've lived in the house for over 40 years.

It sounds awful—get the residents and councillor(s) together and get a solicitor to see if you can do anything. In my experience citizens' protests have very little influence on planning decisions.

Instead of objecting to needed homes why not campaign for infrastructure to be built with it. I live somewhere where many houses are being built but no new doctors or schools, that’s the issue, not the houses
Because no fucker ever listens to that, that's why.

Losing value of house and your views are not valid planning objections. You need to look at your local development plan and see what that says about the area. Also read up a lot about what you can object to and keep it purely factual. No emotion at all.

If you can get enough objections it will at least be heard by the planning committee rather than an officer under delegated powers. Then form valid objections into a speech and ask to speak at the committee.

Just keep all emotion out, it lowers your argument and does smack of being a nimby. House prices are purely fictional money unless you were intending to sell in the next few weeks. What if the market crashed tomorrow you will still of lost a lot of money on paper.

Re the local infrastructure - note it in a letter so it can be picked up in the s106.
Make any other objections relate back to the local plan and NPPF - demonstrate how it will be at odds with the planning documents.
Blocking access to you property means that you don't currently own the land you have been using to date. Unless it is enshrined in you deeds or a recognised (is shows up in the local searches) then it is immaterial.
Planning is a process of balancing competing needs for the land - therefore if the Housing Needs Surveys show that there is a need it will need to be balanced against the detriment of the development.

@BuffaloCauliflower I live in the North East. The council in the closest town knocked down 50+ houses in close to the town centre.

There are empty houses in the village. One has been empty for a couple of months.

There's no demand for more houses in the village.

Building new homes isn't really the problem, it's lack of adequate services like schools, doctors etc to support the extra people that's the problem. Are they building new schools too? I doubt it.

They've built probably over 1000 new houses in this area. No new schools. No new GPs. Hospital over run with patients. In fact with the schools they actually shut a few classes as they had no teachers.

I can see ops point when they do nothing about anything else. It's beyond stupid, but they can't see it.

This. It is not NIMBYism to want new houses to come with the services to cope with them. This is what you object to the council about. Ask them how they are going to manage the increased demand in services. Ask them for assurances these will be provided by the developers. The council can stipulate extra money from the developers to go towards improved services.

Do you have a parish council? I would speak to them and see what grounds they will be objecting on. The loss of a playing field is relevant.

Separately, do you have legal access to the back of your house? If it’s not a right of way then I’d speak to a solicitor to see what your rights are depending on how long it’s been used as access.

We have the same issue. Just had 660 houses and plans for another 600. Right by the school! They plan to widen the road and therefore reduce the pavement where hundreds of children and parents have to walk each day. It’s a joke. Nothing we can do to stop it. No doctors surgery, no new school, no infrastructure. Traffic is already a problem and it’s going to get worse. The builders don’t care and the council don’t have any concrete grounds to refuse as it’ll just go to appeal and be won.

Where abouts are you OP, if you have a county branch of the CPRE they could help. Look on your local Facebook page, you might find that another local protest group has been formed.

You do need real expert help to fight development these days, but you can catch them out sometimes if they haven't followed procedure properly.

We are in Devon and the amount of new housing being planned is totally ridiculous, way more than is actually needed in the area and hardly any of it is affordable, and there is no investment in transport and social infrastructure, or in creating new jobs.

Blighting the countryside, often by building on farmland, is not going to help the shortage of homes in the south east.

I sympathise op and this would be my worst nightmare. I realise houses need to be built to some extent but the amount of empty/second properties in this country is ridiculous without decimating green spaces and turning villages into towns! I chose to live rurally, in a quiet village because of the peace and the views and not having to look into someone else house, if I wanted to live in a crowded place I’d have moved to a city.

As others have said though I don’t think anything you say will change the decision

Ask them for assurances these will be provided by the developers. The council can stipulate extra money from the developers to go towards improved services

The trouble is that the developers just ignore all these conditions,mind councils don't have to money to sue them.

Google Cranbrook near Exeter, the developers have hardly provided any of the community facilities they were supposed to have built - compare that with the millions of pounds of profit they are making!

YANBU. Ill thought out plans with no supporting infrastructure.

Greenfield should be protected full stop. There are plenty of brownfield sites to build on in this country.

I hope you are successful in your objection OP.

@TonTonMacoute yes there is a City not far from me has built on a massive scale and promised to build another school to deal with the increase in children and have they done it? Have they buggery

Is it a council initiative or a private developer applying? Is there a Local Plan including this area? Government has targeted local authorities to come up with schemes to meet perceived future needs and these are not always popular with residents or even local councillors. Is there anyone on the council against it, a town/parish council, residents' group you can lobby?

You can object on grounds such as inappropriate development in Green Belt, AONB etc, environment such as protected species or flood risk, lack of infrastructure to support increased population (roads, school capacity, doctor, local employment opportunities), although these are often addressed as part of it or via Community Infrastructure Levy. Unfortunately views and house price concerns are not likely to be upheld.