Neighbour has built a bar

[Julshk73]

My neighbour has spent the last three months building every night beyond 10pm. Sawing hammering, no use of my garden this year so far. Yesterday they unwrapped their new building.

It's a bar.

On a raised platform.

That looks right into my daughters bedroom.

She is terrified as a preteen as grown men were staring in all day yesterday.

Then the drinking began.

Until 3am we couldn't even hear our tv for the shouting screaming and chanting.

The council noise team aren't working due to covid. The police don't answer calls anymore on 101 (we tried several times on advice of the council).

What can I do?

My daughter is extremely distressed at losing her privacy and I cannot deal with parties that go on until 3am that are so loud we have no respite.

Help?

Well, they needed planning permission to build it. If they haven’t got it, get onto the planning team. But if he’s been building it for three months, why didn’t you act sooner? He will almost certainly have to remove it.

I feel for you.

My neighbours are currently building a bus shelter, aka garden bar. Will have seating and electric heating and be about 8ft from our bedroom window. They have very little volume control and conduct conversations at bellowing level... I'm dreading them being out there till the early hours

Put a sign on her window saying “please stop perving at our 12 year old” that should sort it...

Your poor DD.

Your neighbours sound horribly selfish and inconsiderate. Try the planning department.

Perhaps a speaker playing opera loudly in the garden every time they start up again in the meantime.

I think I must be the only person who can't see a problem with the bar? Our family friends have a wooden 'bar's in the garden. The noise on the other hand is unacceptable. But really OP get blinds for her window. As others have said its unlikely they are looking at her window intentionally, if we are sunbathing in the garden on our decking, I can see our neighbours window as we face it, I certainly don't sit and stare into it.

Can't believe the people defending the neighbour here.

He's a selfish oik to have built a bar like this when he has neighbours in close proximity.

Agreed. You have no idea how loud it is at 2 and 3 am if you don't have to live in immediate proximity to them. Mine built an extension for their sex pond so are out there in all weathers to the point the most laid back neighbour ever lost his temper at them this week.

@CovidCorvid

I feel for you.

My neighbours are currently building a bus shelter, aka garden bar. Will have seating and electric heating and be about 8ft from our bedroom window. They have very little volume control and conduct conversations at bellowing level... I'm dreading them being out there till the early hours

Jesus, you poor thing.

I just couldn't live with that.

You definitely need to check out the height and proximity to your boundary lines then get onto environmental health. Sounds like you have selfish fuckers for neighbours, let's face it, if they've built a whole bar they're planning on spending a good amount of time in it.

By bar I'm imagining this sort of thing?

It’s on a platform. Therefore it likely needs planning permission. And the OP may live in a ground floor flat with all bedrooms on the ground floor.

OP I'm another one struggling to picture the layout - a diagram would be really helpful.

Quite a lot of people built garden pubs etc during lockdown - a number of my neighbours have one and in itself isn't an issue (in my opinion) and you can't stop people using their garden as they wish (the late night noise is another issue and should have been reported)

Could you clarify why you couldn't use your garden?

Also what action did you take when you discovered a group of men spent the whole day staring into your daughters bedroom especially if your daughter was scared?

Or was it that they actually weren't staring but potentially could see in if they wanted to?

@Moorelewis

By bar I'm imagining this sort of thing?

If it’s like my neighbours it’s built onto the back of the house, width of the house. Upright timbers supporting a Perspex roof. Lots of under cover seating.

For a start, ask your neighbour why he has chosen to build a bar that looks directly into your teenage daughter's bedroom?

As pp’s have said, get on to your local councillor (a) about planning requirements and (b) antisocial behaviour (which making a racket well into the night most definitely is).

This sounds like the first one right? So definitely a good moment to talk to them.

And get the blinds/net curtain/ frosting.

So I’m thinking like this with a bar area?

It must be a very tall structure. When you say 'unwrapped it' had he been concealing it in some way as he built it?

Sounds crap. Selfish, thoughtless and intimidating behaviour.

Yanbu. Hope you can get it sorted.

Yes it’s impossible to understand
Not really? The neighbour has built a bar on a raised platform in his garden. The people he’s inviting round are staring in the OP’s windows. Privacy film doesn’t really cut it because OP’s daughter should be allowed a view.

Everyone scratching their heads and going “I just can’t comprehend!” and “sounds unlikely” is being disingenuous and goady af. If you think OP is making it up, say so.

Tell him to soundproof the bar (it’s like she’s with a ledge and pumps right?

@CovidCorvid oh I think I've got the wrong end of the stick. I was thinking more like the ones you can buy from aldi etc. Portable things. In that case I'd be annoyed too.

Like a shed

I'm the sort of person who would wind them up by putting rude messages, pictures on the inside of the window for them to look at, if anyone dares complain I would point out they shouldn't be looking in the first place.

You may find planning permission is required. Report to your local planning enforcement team

Put blinds and report to the council immediately.

I am amazed you didn't complain about the noise while he was being anti-social!

Some people are just CF. They expect others to put up with their anti-social behaviour and get away with everything.