To think neighbours are being selfish over extension?

[nearlynot]

Extension is ground and first floor, 5.5 meters long, with ground level extending a bit further. West facing.

Is neighbour BU to object if half the garden will have no extension or shadowing. Neighbour always home and claims it will be detrimental to have shadow over back of the house/windows. Who is BU?

As neighbour 2 I've been told AIBU, name called and threatened, so I want honest opinions and i'm trying to be as objective as possible. I don't want to BU just because poor health makes having sunlight so important to me because I can't get out a lot. I know that's no one else's problem but mine (and my family, who I wanted to create a nice home and garden to play in to have friends round etc when I can't get out).

When I had an adapted bathroom fitted myself this neighbour told my builders to be quiet at certain times so their toddler could nap and it was a very stressful time. I'm quite shocked now that the same people could now do something much more extensive without a second thought.

I'm very sorry for the poor poster who's husband was so stressed due to the building work before passing away, how awful for you both.

Holy shit how would that extension possibly be allowed?! Thats the size of the house again and causes massive shadow to the neighbour.

Very unreasonable.

Op, im assuming this is a reverse as nobody is surely this much of a twat, fight it as far as you can.

When my neighbours had their extension planning came round and were only interested in the light id lose. None. So it was allowed.

Nobody gave a crap
About the builders on my drive amd the damage it cause to my house...

With your diagram, if you all have west facing gardens, the sun will shine directly into yours and their house will it not?

My neighbours have a conservatory but it doesn't make my kitchen shadowed at all..? In fact in the summer it can be sweltering!

Reverses are annoying as hell to read

Oh, it is a reverse, then. Knock it off, no one can take you seriously 😑

Ohhhhhhhhhhhh it's a reverse.. how irritating.

Right, OP.

YA D NBU

Quite frankly, if you're the neighbour building the extension, you're a shit. If planning went through, as neighbour 2, I would expect compensation for loss of value to my property. Neighbour 1's extension seems a fair size. The proposed extension is pretty much another house.
If you're the shitty neighbour, do everyone a favour and move to a bigger house.

It wasn't strictly a reverse was it? The OP was just ambiguous as to who was who.

OP fight this as hard as you can. That extension is ridiculously unreasonable.

A point of view from someone in your neighbour’s situation:

My neighbours are currently having a big extension built and it is a nightmare. Their builders and their many vans block us from leaving our property most days (am getting sick of knocking on neighbours’ door two, three times a day asking for their vans to be moved - we live on an unmade road and have shared access to our houses via a long driveway) and for the last few weeks I’ve had brick dust and saw dust all over my car and driveway everyday. The builders don’t clean up after themselves. Neighbour suggested that I park on the main road if I need access / stop my car getting dirty - I have a young baby so that’s not an option. And why should I?

We objected to the extension because it’s huge and imposes on our garden (we already lose a lot of light due to row of tall conifers on other neighbour’s side) but planners still approved it. They’re an older couple with grown up children who don’t live there so no idea why they need such a huge extension but there you go.

My neighbour hasn’t apologised once for the inconvenience or the mess. It’s soured relations somewhat, which is a shame. We want to move house as a result because a lot of our garden will be in shade most of the day now but not sure how marketable it is going to be.

So yes, YABU.

You are not being at all unreasonable to object as neighbour 2 op. I would be bloody furious.

I think you have a lot of YABU votes because PP’s thought you were the person extending.

Obviously YANBU that extension is ridiculous and I would fight that all the way.

It's perfectly reasonable for them to put in an objection to the planning permission. The planning people will decide if it's a problem or not. I don't think you should hold it against them in any way - they're just playing their part in the checks and balances that should happen for the sake of everyone.

They're going to suffer from the building work, especially if they work from home or sleep at odd hours. You would be a better neighbour if you were sympathetic to that. Obviously it can't be built without noise, but I'm sure they would appreciate it if you can keep them posted on when any particularly noisy bits will happen. They might plan to take a day off or find somewhere else to work on those days. (Of course they can't be expected to fund somewhere else to work for the duration of the building work - unless you're paying.)

There's a new house going in opposite us. I work from home. I moved my study to the back of the house, but it's still been noisy some days. (I reckoned my daughter having her bedroom at the front would matter less, as work happens during the day, but they seem to be digging up the road at 8am every morning this half-term, poor kid.)
They have regularly blocked our drive, and although they have usually been quick to move their vans when we've asked, it doesn't occur to them to let us know when they're going to be unloading materials for 20 minutes, in case we want to get the car out first. In the cold weather, they sit in their vans for lunch with the engine running, pumping out fumes (I did point out somewhere nearby where they could eat their lunch in the warm). It's all been rather worse for the elderly lady nextdoor to the site.

I thought I'd mention some of these issues, so that you can try and make sure you minimise the effect on your neighbours. Whether or not they play a part in the planning process, I think doing them a favour afterwards is the least you can do to compensate them for the disruption.

Planners cannot take into account the personalities of applicants, or personal issues of objectors.

However, loss of light, scale, bulk, visual dominance, sense of enclosure, overpowering nature, loss of outlook, loss of amenity etc are all relevant planning concerns. Unfortunately noise and disturbance whilst the development is carried out are not planning matters, although Council usually will restrict the hours of work (usually 8-5 Mon - Fri, Saturday am, and no Sun/BH working).

When you say 5.5m long - is that how far the two storey element will project from the existing rear wall of the house?

When friends of ours had a major extension built (not a big foot print but four stories) they had to get something called a sun or day light report done for the council to show that the neighbours would not be adversely affected. Perhaps you can do the same but to demonstrate the opposite?

I was/am trying to be objective as this is all the council will care about. It's no use me posting emotionally about how devastated I am only to be told to get a grip because i'm being too emotional about a factual objection. I've only repeated things the extension planning neighbours have said, as I'd rather understand that and see if it's objectively reasonable. Admittedly fleeing DV and having ASD makes it difficult for me to judge situations, they believe planning is very much in the bag so it did seem I was being UR.

For the sunlight, it rises in our front gardens, gets behind extension planning neighbours by noon and will be behind the extension till late afternoon. The sun sets at bottom of the gardens. Thus far the council have accepted their false drawings as though our houses all have a different orientation and they haven't been made to provide accurate light studies.

Object away. I’m helping my parents object to their neighbours building a massive extension. It would be completely overbearing and is very upsetting for them. They don’t object to some development in principle but the plans are totally excessive and would ruin their enjoyment of their garden. They’ve been in their house for nearly 50 years and I’m worried about what the building work will do to their health. The neighbours didn’t even speak to them about the plans. First thing they knew about it was a note on the lamppost.

My neighbour has an extension that has totally blocked all natural light to our kitchen and middle room. Even in July /August etc you must have the lights on because without them you cannot see in those rooms

You have a right to object, don’t let anyone tell you that you don’t.
Don’t continue to discuss with neighbours (if that’s what’s been happening thus far), follow the correct process of objecting to the plans based on the loss of light to your property.
The building works and noise will all be governed by council regulations and rules, so annoying as it is as long as they stick to the rules there’s no much you can do other than patiently wait it out.
Definitely not unreasonable to object, based on your diagram I would expect anyone in your situation would!

You make NO SENSE.
YABU.
They will have a RIGHT OF ACCESS and RIGHT TO LIGHT.

Yes, definitely object to that. Not because of the inconvenience of the building work but because of the long term impact on your garden.

It isn’t inherently selfish to build an extension, PP who said that is being ridiculous. I say that as someone who built a single storey extension and live next to someone who is currently having a double storey one. Neither of us have sought to build anything that will interfere with each other’s homes. The building work is disruptive but sadly you have to suck that up in the short term. Losing half your garden to permanent shade though - no, fuck that OP. Object.

I think people should have to pay immediate neighbours compensation for doing long term building work affecting the neighbours quality of life and enjoyment of their homes.

I agree with this - and certainly where it has devalued their house.

Plus, beware the usual warning, that formal disputes with neighbours should be declared when you sell your house so it is always worth trying to resolve them before they get to that stage.

Ah - I see you are not the extension building home.

In that case, object away. I would. It's an effing awful porposal.

OP is the neighbour not the builder

Yes seeline, 5.5 meters for the 2 level part.

Yes I was trying to being ambiguous so as not to be unfair to them or my subjective POV.

I'm relieved to see that the majority think it is worthy of objecting, they had really led me to believe I was being ridiculous. They have already enlarged the lower level plans and decreased the upper level, it was going to be significantly bigger. These new plans state that they have been applied for as agreed with the council, so it sounds like they already find it acceptable. The threats have left me scared to object tbh, but I feel a bit more validated in doing so now if so many people think there are objective reasonable grounds.

I wanted to alter my own house and create an accessible downstairs bedroom for myself as I struggle with the stairs but would need access on their drive, they won't allow it if I object. So I feel stuck between accepting the shadow and hopefully them not being increasingly horrible, and objecting and not being able to make my own property more livable and having them be worse. I loved our home and need the special school near us for DC and there are no other houses available locally, not that i'm able to move right now anyway.