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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Neighbour has built a bar

329 replies

Julshk73 · 20/06/2021 10:25

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?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
5
Xenia · 20/06/2021 11:19

A neighbour had to remove a tree house as too high (we are in a conservation area however). You could buy some very high trees and immediate pieces of fence to destroy entirely their view into your garden for a start. Also check if he is charging people to come and then you would have him on additional planning breaches never mind licensing requirements eg the golf club near us must stop serving drinks by about mid night from memory and no noise outside after 11 or something along those lines.

roobicoobi · 20/06/2021 11:20

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

What did they say when you told them to stop?

My daughter is extremely distressed at losing her privacy

Well I mean she/you could have closed the curtains. Not as a permanent solution obviously, but something so simple could have saved her 'extreme distress'

What can I do?

Again, what did you do? What you did/said yesterday will dictate the next course of action.

Lilibet2022 · 20/06/2021 11:20

But if he’s been building it for three months, why didn’t you act sooner? He will almost certainly have to remove it.

It wouldn't matter too much I don't think. I'm reliably informed there's a backlog pp have to get through at the moment and they quote Covid for why they can't attend and assess which I do understand but as these are mostly outside the risk is lower anyway it is a wishy washy excuse.

osbertthesyrianhamster · 20/06/2021 11:20

@LEMtheoriginal

This outlines why i fucking hate people
Yep!
Flaunch · 20/06/2021 11:20

As PP has said, anything on a platform needs planning permission so report them to planning control.

GreenFingersWouldBeHandy · 20/06/2021 11:22

My neighbour has spent the last three months building every night beyond 10pm

Did you ask him to stop or point out that he should have stopped by 8pm every night (if in the UK)?

Have you told him the it looks directly into your daughter's bedroom?

RocksOnTheHill · 20/06/2021 11:22

I agree with contacting your councillor and putting pressure on the council.

You have my massive sympathies. Our neighbours built a massive beauty parlour in their garden, which took six months of weekends last year and I get you saying you feel like you can't use the garden. The noise and builders looking into ours on their frequent tea breaks put us off.

We don't have the noise you're experiencing but we have bright lights and customers staring into our garden while they wait standing on the external veranda. The customer's are also positioned in the doorway facing out. It's so weird seeing someone having their hair and make up done over the fence.

The neighbour's raised the ground significantly before building it on a 30cm platform. However, the planning department have said it's not worth their time coming out because, even though it exceeds height regulations, they have a massive backlog due to covid and it's not a priority Hmm

Anyway, I recommend just staring back. Eventually they get the hint.

HoppingPavlova · 20/06/2021 11:24

Just get privacy film for the window. She can see out, they can’t see in and she doesn’t lose any light etc. Easily done without the outrage.

BirthdayCakeBelly · 20/06/2021 11:25

www.wilko.com/en-uk/d-c-fix-frost-effect-self-adhesive-film-675cm-x-1-5m/p/0309596

This works really well.

As for the ‘bar’ I’d put in a complaint to the council.

AutoGroup · 20/06/2021 11:26

It's a strange mid world when a neighbour can spend 3 months building and you never have a "what's it going to be?" conversation, or for that matter a "could you call it a day a bit earlier please" conversation.

lockdownalli · 20/06/2021 11:27

So the bar is built on a platform, and all day there were men standing on this platform staring into your teenage daughter's bedroom?

shoofly · 20/06/2021 11:27

Report to planning enforcement, environmental health and contact your local councillors. Keep it factual and the more information you can provide the better. Rough sketch or photos will help.

In our area response times for 101 are an issue and Police are aware. Local councillors will have links with police so can also help with this.
(I am a Councillor)

yoyo1234 · 20/06/2021 11:28

Selfish of the neighbour, especially with the noise as well. Could there be a wall mounted T.V. in the same direction as your daughter's room that they were looking at? Notify planing (especially if greater than 30cm tall) and any environmental teams previous PP have mentioned

Sparklingbrook · 20/06/2021 11:29

If it's taken 3 months to build it must be pretty impressive.

Original poster
Julshk73 · 20/06/2021 11:30

hi everyone thanks for the replies. my neighbour isn't quite the kind of gent you can speak to - when he cut one of my trees down he got very aggressive when I spoke to him. My daughters room has blonds and curtains however it's north facing and has no natural light without the venetians being opened (not pulled up). She's gone from having trees and privacy to having to stay in darkness? I too am utterly stressed out - I took photos of them looking on when I went into her room. It didn't stop them. I do think it's more about how it's been built to face her bedroom rather than anything more insidious - the only other places for them to look would be into the structure walls.

It's quite literally been built with only open windows and deck looking right in with no other way for the occupants to sit.

We're both very tired today to be honest - having football chants sung full volume until 3am does that. Let's hope it doesn't become regular although I fear with the amount of work that went into it Sad

OP posts:
Sparklingbrook · 20/06/2021 11:30

I am thinking something like this

Neighbour has built a bar
Oldraver · 20/06/2021 11:30

Get a big security light that points in their direction. They then wont be able to stare at your daughter.

I say this as some who have had their neighbours security light shining into their bedrooms for a long time. It's really annoying (finally asked them to redirect it)

DdraigGoch · 20/06/2021 11:30

Is he charging them for drinks? Potential licencing issue there.

Sparklingbrook · 20/06/2021 11:31

@Julshk73

hi everyone thanks for the replies. my neighbour isn't quite the kind of gent you can speak to - when he cut one of my trees down he got very aggressive when I spoke to him. My daughters room has blonds and curtains however it's north facing and has no natural light without the venetians being opened (not pulled up). She's gone from having trees and privacy to having to stay in darkness? I too am utterly stressed out - I took photos of them looking on when I went into her room. It didn't stop them. I do think it's more about how it's been built to face her bedroom rather than anything more insidious - the only other places for them to look would be into the structure walls.

It's quite literally been built with only open windows and deck looking right in with no other way for the occupants to sit.

We're both very tired today to be honest - having football chants sung full volume until 3am does that. Let's hope it doesn't become regular although I fear with the amount of work that went into it Sad

Can you do at least a diagram?
Lilibet2022 · 20/06/2021 11:35

We're both very tired today to be honest - having football chants sung full volume until 3am does that. Let's hope it doesn't become regular although I fear with the amount of work that went into it

I sympathise with you OP. Please do start making the council aware though or you'll be where we are now. Years down the line with a useless housing manager and only now with a new one are they being proactive.

Original poster
Julshk73 · 20/06/2021 11:37

it's a building with one long open front that looks onto the bedroom. the bar is forward of the sitting area on the deck. like this

Neighbour has built a bar
OP posts:
Original poster
Julshk73 · 20/06/2021 11:38

thank you - good advice we're too tired to think straight!

OP posts:
MargaretThursday · 20/06/2021 11:38

It must be an impressive structure if it took them 3 months to build. The house opposite my parents was built from scratch in less than that.

Original poster
Julshk73 · 20/06/2021 11:39

yup. from late morning until after 3am.

OP posts: