New neighbours extension plans

[Greenfingeredsue]

Hi all

My current neighbour has died. Now probate is completed her house is being sold.

Her son has prospective buyers. He has mentioned in passing to me that they want to extend the property out the back. I am wondering wtf they can’t just buy a house that meets their needs?

The gardens are quite big so there’s plenty of room for them to do this. However, we don’t want them to.

We need a new shed, so my husband has suggested we build a new one with a greenhouse on their side right as near to the boundary as we can, next to the house.

We’ll do this once contracts have been exchanged so we don’’t scupper the sale, plus they would have to get planning permission.

My only concern is that the new neighbours could force us to dismantle them so the builders can work?

Also I live in a mid terrace that’s about to be extended backwards. Our neighbours (thank fuck) are lovely decent people who will happily give us side access but if not we’d simply access work through the house. Inconvenient but wouldn’t stop us extending.

You sound awful! I feel sorry for your neighbours-to-be

So, am I right. You don't want them to have an extension so your hubby suggests placing your (soon to be ) newly built greenhouse as close the boundary wall as possible to try and scupper their plans of an extension , but you don't want to do it before in case it scuppers the sale ?

The noise of an extension may be annoying and cause a bit of disruption but surely not the end of the world.

Your greenhouse won't stop them getting Planning permission, but if you think it may, you want them to buy the house then scupper their plan,

Providing it's within the Planning Permissions just Dallas with it, don't be that neighbour.

We extended without the need to put scaffolding in our neighbours garden. Neighbours did likewise.

You cant stop them extending because you dont want the noise.

You can refuse access, this may make relations strained in future.

If it has a large garden I'm sure alot of people interested in it will be thinking of extending.

You don't need to have a valid reason to refuse to allow scaffolding, you can just say no.

Maybe the new neighbours will turn out to be really nice and friendly and helpful and a good addition to your lives. Change can be worrying but isn’t always bad.

Noise and disruption is a bizarre reason to actually object to an extension. It’s only for the period of time an extension is being built.
And if you’re going to make it more difficult for them to build the extension, it’ll probably take longer to be built.

I’m not sure what the set-up is/what side entrance is, but I’ve known some terraces without a rear lane but with a right of access across neighbouring properties - are you saying they’re completely penned in and there’s no right of access?

@Greenfingeredsue

Shed and greenhouse would mean we have a valid reason to refuse to allow scaffolding in our garden

Scaffolding is often not necessary or can be placed strategically so as not to touch your land. If they really want to extend you’ll not stop it but you could end up posting them off so that they don’t take your feelings into consideration re noise in the building phase or when they live next to you.

If you were my neighbours being this way from the start of take joy in making as much noise as legally permitted tbh.

Lots of people get anxious about change, especially unknown change that might affect you. That’s fine and understandable. YANBU to feel like that.

Try to think about what you can do about your own circumstances. You can build a greenhouse shed on your own property. They can’t make you dismantle it. The extension is highly unlike to negatively affect you. Thats what planning looks at. You might think it might, but even if it’s permitted development it won’t affect you negatively. It’ll be different sure, but won’t actually harm your quality of life.

Make friends with your new neighbours & find out what their plans are before getting upset. They might be reasonable.

Just put up the shed and/or greenhouse now while the weather's good, see what the plans look like when they go for planning permission, and stop borrowing trouble from the future.

And you don't have to allow scaffolding in your garden if you don't want it anyway. If they have any right of access through your side entrance you can't withdraw it for specific purposes, but if they don't you don't have to grant it either.

Why do you need a valid reason not to allow scaffolding in your garden? Surely that's not something you can be forced to have.

No one wants noise and disruption, that's totally understandable but putting up pre-emptive sheds is a little odd.

You sound like an utter pain I the arse neighbour. They can be tens without any permission to 3m under pd. they can go for op if they want more / higher. Building a shed to try and prevent it is different how?

You sound like you want to kick off and make life hard before they even move in. They might be brilliant and considerate neighbours, you have no idea.

They may also not want access if they are renovating the entire ground floor.
If they are seeking access you can of course refuse it.

Fun story: mum was in a similar situation and isn't a dick.The neighbours offered (and did) get their team to totally relandscape her garden as thanks/payment for access- she was delighted.

I have checked and we are not legally obliged to allow this.

It sounds like you’re salivating for them to ask so you can say no. Wait until you’re asked.

Kinda hoping they’ll do a two storey extension!

@Greenfingeredsue

Shed and greenhouse would mean we have a valid reason to refuse to allow scaffolding in our garden

I live mid-terrace and loads of people have had extensions where I live. I don’t. Scaffolding is not put in neighbouring gardens and nor will builders need to use a side entrance. They come in through the front door.

Wow. Glad I don’t life near you.

We’ve had builders next door since February, and since lockdown noise all day every day and nowhere to go to escape the noise.

Our neighbours can’t life there at the moment, but I wouldn’t be awkward over the build.

Yes it’s annoying and yes it’s disruptive, had it been ‘normal’ times then we’d all be at work all day and missing all the noise.

It’s just life.

If you feel that strongly but the house yourself. Then no one will need to live next to you.

YABVU. It’s really none of your business why people buy a house and what they want to do with it when they do buy it.

Your shed and/or greenhouse isn’t going to stop them extending; builders are used to neighbours trying to create trouble so will be able to get around whatever you attempt to put in place to stop them.

At no point did our builders put scaffolding in our neighbours garden or even go in their garden.

You sound miserable.

I suspect this is a massive source of conversation between you and your husband. In fact, I'll bet you both obsess over it.

It hasn't even happened and you've hatched a plan to scupper any potential plans new neighbours may or may not have.

Get a life.

Wow, your poor unsuspecting future neighbours

You need access all around your greenhouse to replace any glass that gets broken and also your shed to replace felt and treat the wood. Putting them right on the boundary line to make life awkward for them could end up shooting you in the foot.

You sound delightful OP.
It's almost like you're getting all your ducks in a row to be as awkward as possible and enjoying every minute of it.

You sound like a horrible neighbour OP, I feel very sorry for the people buying the house. How about you give them the benefit of the doubt instead of worrying about something that hasn’t even happened yet.

YABVU, OP.

It is the noise and the disruption we don’t want.

That is, unfortunately, tough. As long as the noise is not unreasonable (ie late at night or early morning) you will just have to put up with it. It won’t be forever, unless your new neighbours are building the Taj Mahal.

And we’d put money on them wanting to use our side entrance to bring stuff in (we’re end of terrace - side entrance is on the other side of them.) I have checked and we are not legally obliged to allow this.

So don’t allow it. You seem to be demonising your new neighbours before they’ve even arrived for the crime of wanting to alter their legally purchased property. If anyone is going to be a problem neighbour in this scenario I’d put money on it not being them.