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?

I'd be objecting too. Good luck

It isn’t inherently selfish to build an extension, PP who said that is being ridiculous

Of course it is selfish. The people extending are causing disruption to those around them purely for their own benefit. It is the very definition of selfish.

The building work is disruptive but sadly you have to suck that up in the short term.

And I said exactly that.

Object strenuously.

Find another way to sort out access that doesn't involve their drive.

What constitutes a formal dispute?

Will objecting or having to complain down the line mean that if I had to sell my house, then i'd have to declare this and it would negatively impact me selling? I mean beyond the fact their extension will put people off anyway. I don't see how anyone could enthusiastically sell a house with a massive extension next door near the boundary but maybe that's just my personal preferences.

We used to have beautiful views that will be lost too but I accepted that as a compromise, it's the lack of light when i'm housebound i'm worried about. I'm prone to depression and think this will make it even worse but i'm sure this has no bearing. Our only other windows are east facing so it's very dull beyond 11am or so and other neighbours have large trees which limit the light so there's no other option for adding windows for more light.

Will they even get permission for such a big extension? It's doubling the size of their house! We were only allowed to go out four metres for it's although we are an end terrace not detached.
I think that's an incredibly selfish size too want to build and it will massively affect you OP.

It’s not a neighbor dispute.

You are allowed to object

nearlynot It rather sounds like your gardens are north facing so yes you will lose all the west/afternoon light you have atm.

I would involve your local ward councillor with your objections, which ime are valid in that the whole extension is overbearing in size and scale. You cannot talk about loss of value of your property but you can certainly invite the planning officer in charge of the application to come and see the impact the proposed extension has on your garden. Try not to be emotional - I know how difficult that can be in this situation. Best of luck - keep up posted.

OP you need to object and object strongly.

I appreciate you are trying to remain objective in your complaints so as to maintain the strength of your complaint but you SHOULD mention you personal health issues as this is not simply an emotional 'I don't want it' but a factor in how this extension will affect your quality of life dramatically.

If you haven't already complained make sure that your complaint includes the following key points, in this order as the inital points will ensure that the application is scrutinised more closely;

1. The drawings submitted with the application are incorrect and do not depict the true nature of either the existing structure or the extension.
2. The size of the extension and proximity to your own home and garden. i.e. the visual impact of the extension AND the element of your property and garden being overlooked. Particularly relevant if the 2 storey section has any new windows on the side.
3. The impact on natural light TO YOUR HOUSE. ALL afternoon light will be blocked. In this point expand on the fact that your health contraints mean that you are unable to get out much and hat this means that natural light in your home is essential to your physical and mental wellbeing.
4. The impact on the value of your property due to loss of natural light indoors AND you now mostly shaded and overlooked garden.

As an aside will they have to remove any trees for this large build? If so it's worth looking them up and seeing if they are registered or protected trees. If not you can still mention that the removal of wildlife and flora will impact the environment in your garden.

Good luck.

Any links or tips on wording this? I had tried already with the council and these new plans are the result of the council asking them to downsize. There would be little point in resubmitting something too large if the council already gave them an idea of the size they were restricted to. Am I wrong to assume that the architect would have only resubmitted these fresh plans if they were strongly advised they would be successful?

Building neighbour said the council were happy with their submissions but they could be lying?

@SoupDragon

I was more responding to this:

Just move and buy a bigger house. People who build extensions are so bloody selfish

And the other person who said that, because the suggestion you could move instead is naive and unrealistic.

On your post though, I don’t agree it is selfish. maybe you and I mean something different by ”selfish”. I don’t think anyone could argue you do it for anyone’s benefit except your own, so in that sense it is selfish, but I would mean it to involve unreasonably prioritising yourself over someone else, is that what you’re trying to say?

Because if you do think it is an unreasonable decision to build an extension I maintain that is ridiculous. my neighbour on the other side has a dog that barks all day. they also practice their band a couple of evenings a week in their garage. Those are long term and far more disruptive to us than 6 months of building works, is it unreasonable to own a dog or play in a band? if you have neighbours you have to expect some noise and it is ”selfish” not to expect people to live their lives and enjoy their homes for your benefit. There are of course limits to that and I have said OP’s neighbours exceed that limit.

Thanks soup.

So, have the council written to you yet? You’ll usually be given an opportunity to object.
If they’re building up to the boundary? If so you’ll also need a party wall agreement and if you don’t agree with the plans you’ll have a further opportunity to object then.
I wouldn’t be happy with their plans either -
Stand your ground.

the council were happy with their submissions Building neighbour would say that hoping that your objections would melt away. Sorry he is being such a bully but that's the norm with some people who think they can build what they like no matter how much it impacts on their neighbours.

Have you sent in your written objection yet? There is only usually a matter of about 3 weeks I think in which you can get it in.

Has the planning office in charge been to see the impact on your property? If not, insist on it.

This application goes well beyond permitted development so even if the planning officer has indicated it will get approval, as you have objected ti should go before the council planning committee for assessment and approval. This is why I believe you should involve your local councillor to fight on your behalf.

I agree with others that it is not at all unreasonable to object. But what I don't understand why you are discussing your objection with the neighbours. They want to build the extension - of course they are not going to say, oh yes, we agree with your objection. So why discuss it with them? Just put in your objection and save your energy for the people you have to convince (the planners) and not the people you are definitely not going to convince (your neighbours).

Yeah that extension is completely mad. I'd be fuming.

Yes the council have already written to me twice. I haven't been able to reach them on the phone so will have to write again but I don't want to if there's no point.

I can't tell exactly how close to the boundary it is because they haven't included any measurements of that, but based on existing structures it'll definitely be under 1 meter from the boundary but large enough to walk down. The ground level will be 3.3 meters tall and extending 7 meters at our boundary side. The upper level will be 5.5 meters so enough to shadow our whole house, greenhouse and patio.

Meanwhile i'll be in my box room in the dark, even if I could somehow extend without access from their side(?), it will still be in the dark.

The 7 meter extended area could be reduced a bit but they want an additional large storage room, pantry, library etc

Great diagram OP . Really like that but in light of seeing it I think YABU.
Your extension is rather larger (if its you and not a reverse) than neighbour 1 and that is a fair amount of shadow in neighbour 3 garden and house (in fact it looks like the whole of the back of their house will be darker).

Oh sorry , I see you ARE neighbour 3 .

They are being VU

Re "comments" on a planning application -

I don't know about your local council planning website but mine allows you to look at planning applications using a map, and you can look for the last 6 months, last 2 years or last 5 years. Each time you change the profile of what you want the properties who have had submitted for planning permission are outlined in red.

You can then click on each property to see what their planning was for, porch, single storey rear extension, 2 storey side extension etc. Find ones similar to the one proposed and look at the report made. Hopefully you can find ones that were refused and use the exact same wording. You can also use them to say planning was refused at 14 Prospect Place etc for X,Y, Z.

This is what we did when someone put in planning which would have resulted in a solid brick wall to get round the overlooking part from a 2 storey application. When the planning officer visited me it turned out that he was the planning officer who had refused the applications I had listed!

I hope this helps, that extension is ridiculously big and looks like over-development of the site as well as overshadwing, and over-bearance.

So they can't enjoy half their garden during the day because the extension shades half of it? I wouldn't be happy.

nearlynot Can you email the Planning Department OP? There should be an email contact on the letters you were sent. But keep trying on the phone anyway. Not sure where you live obv but your council website has a list of councillors and you will find yours there.

I know there is a time limit on comments. Soup has given you a good outline.
I agree that you should ask a local councillor to be involved- round here they can "call it in" and it means it goes to full committee and I think you can speak to the meeting. (Not as scary as it sounds)
Also can you afford a light survey and have you the time to get it done? Certainyl if it gets called in you might have time but I don't know if you can present new info at that stage.
None of this is info that needs to be disclosed on a sale.
I changed my vote from YABU to YANBU BTW

OP you absolutely must object and you need to get on to it TODAY. You are not being at all unreasonable.

soupforbrains has already made some good points which you should include in your objection but make sure you include the point that they have made factual inaccuracies in their application which are significant - ie that the orientation of the extension/ gardens is not what they state and therefore has a different impact on you in terms of light. Also that the size and scale of the proposed extension is not at all in proportion or keeping with the setting.

With our local authority objections are made via an online portal; so you can get this completed today (and make sure you don't miss the deadline). You don't want Planning to think that you haven't objected, and therefore you are in agreement.

Objecting to a planning application is not counted as a neighour dispute so completely put that out of your head.

Oh and finally, the Planning dept will categorically NOT have given any indication whether your neighbour's plans are likely to be approved/ viewed favourably or anything else. That is complete b*llshit and just your neighbour trying to get you to roll over.

Fight it OP. You have a good chance of winning or at least making them scale back their plans considerably.

If you are building an extension which will create shadow in half of your neighbour's garden then you are the one who is being selfish. We want to extend our house in the next couple of years so we're planning a double height extension over the patio area which won't cause issues for our neighbours because of the way that the houses face.

I don't think it's OK. It looks massive, very different to the other extension. Don't think it should be allowed. When you buy a house, you shouldn't have the right to disrupt the people who live beside you. Small alterations are a different thing, but that looks like it is the same size as the house! Plus what are the smaller segments?

Light is very important - if it will block light to windows and to half of the garden I don't think that's acceptable.

I hope you get advice from someone who knows this kind of process inside out.

It just does not seem reasonable to alter a dwelling like that.