to not think a hairdresser working from home is a problem

[woopdedoodle]

I'm not name changing, because they already know who I am, and after yesterday so do my neighbours.

A few doors down from me a woman has opened a two seat salon in her garage. Obviously it's been closed most of the time since,she also hadn't asked planning permission. Now she has and there are two women running a campaign to shut her down.

They think she will get 5000 customers a year by car 10000 extra car journeys on our road. Before Christmas their argument was while they were home working they could see her home working .

I said I didn't see a problem, yesterday they came back and when they wouldnt leave or take no for an answer I shut the door.

I could hear them shouting outside my front door, so now all the neighbours have heard how rude I apparently am.

So AIBU to think it's not the end of the world to have a small local hairdresser, house prices are not going to plummet, and I should support the planning application.

I am not a customer BTW

I think a lot depends on the existing parking situation in your road. I live in a cul de sac that already has parking issues - so ANY additional vehicles in the street could be problematic. The fact the neighbour intended to start their business before applying for planning permission would bother me. Also it sets a precedent for the future. So now - a hair salon in a garage may not be an issue - but a few years down the line is a nail bar has started up in someone's bedroom - and some consultancy business has started trading out of another neighbours loft - suddenly you do have a significant increase in footfall and traffic in your street.

It may have a small detrimental effect on the value of houses in your street. It really depends on your area and what people expect.
However - your neighbours becoming aggressive and shouting outside your door is completely out of order. Unfortunately some people become very possessive and upset about changes in their home environments - however small.

@TrialOfStyle

I wonder if this is in part some snobby attitude against hairdressers. I wonder if the same objections would be made if a neighbour was running a private consultancy or law firm out of their home.

I agree.

Loads of people are childminders, tutors, music teachers, book keepers, counsellors, fitness instructors etc it’s just life and I wonder how far these neighbours would go regarding parking traffic inconvenience - would they be upset if an elderly neighbour needed carers in 4 times a day, meal deliveries, medical therapist etc. Not an exact analogy but if it’s just about the traffic?

Provided there is enough parking without causing any issue to neighbours, is on a public road, no homes are close to her garage that they would be disturbed by the constant drone of hair dryers or smell of solutions, no signage outside, she pays business rates, operates during regular business hours etc, then I’d have no problem.

I used to take my dog to a lady who ran dog grooming from her home. I stopped using her because we used to get aggro from her neighbours. To be fair, they were townhouses. Most didn’t have their own parking, there were spaces for the residents but not numbered. The groomer had two spots as she paved her front garden BUT she parked her own two cars there all day which meant each customer came twice (drop off and pick up) as she was never done in allotted time, our car would be parked in resident bays for up to 30 minutes. So I could understand their frustration. Why the groomer didn’t park elsewhere for the day and walk back, I don’t know. I tried it a few times myself, parking at nearby park and walking with my children and dog 5 minutes to drop dog off. Was quite an inconvenience getting the DC to walk with purpose adding more time in an already stressful day.ultimately the council did shut her down

I'd prefer if she was working alone, I think if she had another hairdresser with her it might become a parking issue.

Working on her own I would be fine, even if she was working flat out 12 hours a day, 5000 seems totally unrealistic.

I don't think it is a noise concern and I'd be supportive.

She won’t need planning permission if the house is still primarily residential. Obviously this depends on what exactly she’s planning but a room in a house being used for beauty and hair wouldn’t need planning permission.
Who are they submitting their petition to?

How sad that there are people campaigning about someone trying to make a living at a time like this.

My neighbour has been a home hairdresser for years. Never been a problem with parking or people coming and going. I don’t see why people coming and going would be a problem anyway, most of my neighbours have visitors coming and going in normal times. It’s not an issue unless late at night and they are being loud.

...would they be upset if an elderly neighbour needed carers in 4 times a day, meal deliveries, medical therapist etc. Not an exact analogy but if it’s just about the traffic?

Of course people don’t like the traffic. The difference is just whether they think they should have to tolerate it. And when someone needs a carer, they do. But business premises can be in commercial areas, or the hairdresser can do the travelling. So it isn’t the same.

Sorry BaliB1 but you are misinformed see;

www.salonsdirect.com/blog/how-to-run-a-hairdressing-business-from-home/

I would not mind someone trying to make a living by cutting someone’s hair.

Is there a clause in the house deeds which states businesses are not to be run from home? Maybe this is what is causing people to be annoyed.
Wouldn’t bother me personally as long as extra cars weren’t blocking my drive or causing a nuisance. Your neighbours are being unreasonable pressurising you into agree with them.

Something similar happened near me - but a dog groomer not a hairdressers. A couple of very vociferous neighbours - the equivalent of your 2 women campaigned to have it shut down.
Like in this case, the owner had to apply for retrospective planning permission (she hadn't realised she needed it), so she did this, and she also worked closely with environmental health officers to make sure noise levels were acceptable, and that it was covid compliant etc.

The planning officers were all set to approve the retrospective change of use, when the vociferous neighbours who now had the ear of one of the local councillors demanded it had to be decided by the planning committee. The councillor even wrote in their councillor newsletter that they were supporting local residents in having the dog grooming business closed down.

There were lots of comments on the planning application. From the immediate neighbours who supported it. From the owner explaining why she needed to set up a salon in a premises adjacent to her home (lockdown, single mother with 2 daughters age 11 & 13 who had to be homeschooled, previous rented premises couldn't be made covid compliant). And of course from the vociferous neighbours objecting.

At the planning committee meeting, the councillor stood up and argued the case of the vociferous neighbours, effectively arguing that one of his constituents (who he had never bothered to speak to himself) should be put out of business. And despite the planning officers recommending that the change of use be approved, the committee members turned it down. So the business owner is now in the position where she is out of a job (like many mothers at the moment) or has to find £thousands to appeal the planning committee's decision.

My goodness they sound a delightful pair. NOT.
My hairdresser has exactly the same set up and I have been going to him for years. Unfortunately not since the last lockdown. Really feel for him.
This poor woman is trying to make a living under horrendous circumstances. I would be supporting her 100%.
Shame on these woman for being so aggressive and downright mean spirited. (And I'm putting this politely btw)

A beautician friend runs a successful business (Covid-permitting) from her spare room.
She had to inform her mortgage company & her insurance company - her insurance policy changed slightly.
She also let the council know just in case she needed to pay business rates (she doesn't).
Luckily she has good drive space, there's plenty of on-road parking & as it's a built-up area, lots of public transport.
Your neighbour might need to do all of this to run a legal business!

Someone in our village ran a business from home involving cars (think pimping bodywork rather than mechanical). It involved the occasional car pulling up on his drive and being parked there until the work was done. No revving of engines etc so limited noise. The Council received complaints from the neighbours (he lived opposite bungalows mostly occupied by older people with little better to do!). The council investigated and he is still running the business so clearly the council didn't think it was an issue.

@Viviennemary

It's cheeky and not allowed. Report her to your local council.

OP said that the hairdresser has applied for planning.

The neighbours aren’t unusual. Our childminder has had to call the police and take legal action against a vindictive neighbour who is opposed to her business.

I wouldn’t be supporting the change of use if it was in the area I live purely because of parking etc.

@AnitaB888 www.planningportal.co.uk/info/200130/common_projects/56/working_from_home
Depends what their local councils approach is to this but we wouldn’t be requesting a planning application or change of use based on what OP said. As for arguing about additional cars, it’s 2 cars at a time on a residential street, it’s not unreasonable to argue that a property could have that number of visitors normally even if it weren’t a hairdressers. As for the smells and noise suggested by PPs, it’s not above a normal level of residential noise or smell.

It’d be a different matter if it were a shop front etc but a salon in a garage wouldn’t matter to us.

Also, no parking issues in his road. Most of his customers either live within walking distance or get an Uber.
I hope the poor woman is granted planning permission. And yah boo sucks to the moaning minnies. (Again, a polite version of what I'd really like to call them)

YANBU they sound like they're bored

@TrialOfStyle

I wonder if this is in part some snobby attitude against hairdressers. I wonder if the same objections would be made if a neighbour was running a private consultancy or law firm out of their home.

ding ding ding, exactly. if she were teaching cello or mandarin you can bet your arse no one would give a shit.

There is a physio in our road, but I've never noticed a huge amount of extra traffic for them. The most amount is caused by every other house having building/decorating/drive/garden done over lockdown

I don't think I would like my neighbor to run s business from home, as it is a residential street.

However the campaigners sound just as bad, they should just politely ask you to sign their petition or whatever, and if you don't want to they should leave.

What would stop her having more chairs, turning it into a beauty salon with nail treatments and body treatments?

the fact that she's running it out of the garage of a semi detached house, not Wayne Manor?

There is a women who is a legitimate hairdresser from home around the corner from me. By legitimate I mean legal- her salon is in her extension and currently shut,

5000 customers is highly unlikely. Considering that each customer will be a minimum 1 hour long with many wanting longer for colour etc I suspect that 3 would be a busy day and assuming a 5 day working week (260 days per year) then that's 780 customers tops. I'm not sure why the car journeys are a consideration unless they reject business proposals based on this but O can't imagine McDonalds not being able to open because 1000 cars a day will have their engines running outside and affect pollution levels in the area.

The argument that they can see her work is ridiculous. What do they do when bin men, council or utility companies are digging? They can always use that handy invention called a blind or sit elsewhere in their homes.