AIBU re our Summerhouse (with photo)

[thisisatempname]

I have NC and tried to crop the google earth photo to make it less identifying but if you recognise me please don't out me! I've put an X by our house.
We have lived here for about 10 years, get on with all the neighbours as we've lived in the area all our lives and either know them a long time or through their relatives. Neighbour on right side I went to school with their kids so know them well, neighbour on left side been there about 6 years, mainly keeps themselves to themselves and I don't really know them.
As you may see from the photo, our houses are all buiilt on a hill, so neighbour on right is a bit higher than us, we are a bit higher than our neighbour on left. There's a main road behind us (behind the path/pavement), and woodland opposite us (behind the houses there)
Neighbour on right side has a conservatory where he can see pretty much everything we are doing in our garden, but that doesn't actually bother us and isn't the issue. Just mentioning it in relation to what the issue now is.
We are now building a summer house out the back of our house, its against the back fence and the left fence. It will be a den for the DC to play in summer and potentially also a home office. We hope to add electricity and heating, cost dependent.
Neighbour on right has no issues and has kindly helped with the building. Neighbour on left said he was okay when DH informed him in advance of building. Now his wife is complaining about privacy and size of the summer house.
I'm not a mathematician but the summerhouse itself is not more than 2.5m. It is on decking. We had to build decking for it to sit on due to the fact we are on a hill and garden is sloped. Together with summerhouse and decking, DH says the measurements are 2.7m. Is the neighbour right that it is too big?
DH spoke to the summer house supplier in advance regarding summerhouse size and the decking and was assured no planning permission was required. We got a separate company to do the decking and they assured us everything was okay. We also spoke to a neighbour opposite who is an architect and did our garage conversion and deals with council all the time and she said she forsaw no issues. But I am worried about this woman next door. I don't even know her name, she just banged on the door when I was WFH and DH was out and shouted and swore about privacy.
Neighbour on left has an extremely overgrown front and back garden atm. Its been like that for months. Whole street talking about how unsightly it is and the residents association have been to speak to them and they said they'd cut it. I don't know if she blames me for that although it was the association that approached her, without me asking them too.
Our houses are all bought and mortgaged if that helps. We have an association that deals with upkeep of common ground and any other issues affecting the street.
Anyway apologies for long thread. Any advice on next steps and whether we are in the wrong would really help.

Here is the link to the summerhouse (or log cabin as they describe it):
www.waltons.co.uk/products/the-hemlock-5m-x-3m-log-cabin

I don't work for them!

Looking at the summerhouse , is it going to be positioned so that all the glazing is facing their house and garden ? And will it be in an elevated position so looking down over any fencing ?

There are rules about the height of sheds/outbuildings in comparison to the height of the neighbouring land I think, not sure on the exact details

I'm not sure exactly what your AIBU is.

I have two sheds in my garden, one is 4 x 5 metres by 3 metres at its highest point as it has a sloping roof. Absolutely no problem with neighbours, planning permission or anything else. So you are not in the wrong there as you say you have already been told, so please don't worry.

From what you say re the neighbour, the problem is hers, not yours, as it seems its about her need for privacy. I do understand her as I like my privacy too and have high fences all around my property, and cannot see into any of my neighbours gardens. She may have health issues that means she either cannot physically work on her own garden, or mental health problems that stop her from doing so.

However, your cabin has caused her a problem, so can you alleviate it? Do you have a high enough fence? If so can you make it higher with trellis/plants/bamboo etc. When you're in the cabin look out and see what kind of view you have of next door and work on screening it.

Anything over 2.5 metres needs planning permission and is not in permitted development.
This has to included the heigh of the deck.

the summerhouse itself is not more than 2.5m

What do you mean? Not more than 2.5m in height, away from the fence, in square meters??? The link you posted is a 5m x 3m summer house so I'm confused.

I think you need planning if its closer to the fence than 2m or the roof height is move than 2.5m. You'd need to check your council website for legalities though. Could you have obscurity glass on some of the windows if the neighbours are worried about being seen?

Di you post the wrong link?

You are being unreasonable to rely on sales people to give you advice on planning permission.

you need to check the regulations yourself.

My neighbours have just built a summer house against our fence. If it’s by the fence it within 2 m it can be a maximum of 2.7 in height. Can you change the amount of glass that is going in to the building? Or have it on the side facing away from her so she can’t complain? Might be a good compromise

Op the link says the height is 2.74 then you need to take your decking into account. So either you’ve posted the wrong link or you and your husband for sone reason don’t know the total height.

Given that you have an empty field behind you, couldn't you build the summerhouse in the middle of the back fence so it's not set against your neighbour's fence?

www.planningportal.co.uk/permission/common-projects/outbuildings/planning-permission

Permitted development rules means the building needs to be under 2.5m from the ground (so including decking I think, but don't know at which point you'd measure the ground from - highest or lowest).

Given the cabin you've linked to is 2.74m high (which seems really quite tall I think I would be tempted to measure myself) the decking is irrelevant as the building already required planning permission.

Yes all windows/doors look over our own garden, not theirs.

Sorry, the link is to the larger version, there's a smaller version that we have purchased but it looks similar.

The fences are high and I can't see her garden when I am in mine and very little when up where the cabin will be. We actually paid for that fence and got a good high private one. We checked with her DH if he was okay with that and he said yes. We asked if he wanted to split the cost as it would a shared fence and wasn't cheap to replace (old one was falling down so that was more of a privacy issue!). He agreed but never paid us the half. We just let it go to avoid dispute but it wasn't cheap. W've hardly since he moved in - once to say hello and welcome, once about the fence, once about the cabin and maybe handing over parcels. Always him, he is quite odd and monosyllabic, rarely saw his wife.

The spec says the ridge height is 2.74m

I'm properly confused, but it's a bloody expensive play house for the kids.

What's done is done, I'd just tell her to put it in writing what her problem is.

take it one step at a time, I can't see what else there is to be done really??

Would help if I could read myself it's 2.5m within 2 m of a boundary but I have a long thin garden so have never considered the higher options!

You actually make reference in your first post to the completed summerhouse on the decking being 2.7 m high which is slightly over the limit of 2.5metres. If this figure is correct you might be better negotiating with your neighbour just how you can modify the design so that she doesn't object to the Council.

Why did you post a link to a different version?

Op why don’t you post the link to the actual cabin? A link to a bigger one doesn’t help folk help you, considering this is about size not appearance.

as pp said if the roof is sloped its the minimum height of roof near to the fence & it is 2.5 but you do have to be careful about the decking increasing the height (people have been forced to knock down their outbuildings by the council recently)
I agree with other pp bamboo in pots (not in the ground as you will both land up with bamboo forest and we don't have many pandas to trim it down)

I would talk to her in person, let her get her anger out (within reason, obvs) and then get her to explain exactly what her issues are so you can allay them calmly. Perhaps invite her over so she can see it from your side?

The height limit is 2.5m for buildings within 2m of your boundary, including your decking. I'm guessing if you are putting it against the fence it's less than 2m and may need planning permission.

You’ve asked a local architect who’s job it is to know what you can and can’t build without planning permission but a bunch of randoms on the internet that don’t know your house or area at all are going to give you better advice?! 😂

What height is your decking at the lowest point of your garden?

Can’t you ask your planning department about height, permission etc, rather than relying on advice here?