to report neighbour's bin store?

[Passthegin99]

My house is end terrace and next door's front garden shares a fence with our back boundary. I don't know who the fence belongs to. Next door has been a state for years but they've started smartening it up a bit recently and have made their front garden into a drive (ignoring the fact they don't have a dropped kerb but never mind). All fine except they've now built a whopping great bin store up against the shared boundary which is essentially a massive, stable, platform for would-be-burglars to climb up onto and hop into our garden!

Given my previous house not far from here was end terrace and we were burgled using exactly this route in - standing on bins to get over the fence, and then obviously in through a door - I'm feeling extremely stressed about this. DP - who is normally a massive curtain twitching complaint lodger (whereas I'm normally live and let live) is being infuriatingly calm about it and says there's nothing we can do and that I'm being ridiculous.

Technically it's an illegal construction unless they have planning permission (no way they do given they made a driveway without a dropped kerb) as it's in the front garden, so I could complain to the council. Would that be unreasonable? So as not to drip feed, they have form for this themselves as they previously complained to the council about DP making excessive DIY noise in the garden which upset him so much he's barely picked up a tool since. If they'd just come and knocked on the door he'd have packed it in happily.

I could go and knock on their door but I can't see them taking it down as it won't have been cheap to build and then if I complain to the council they'll know it was me (yes, they probably will anyway but still). What can I do so I don't fall out with the neighbours but also so I can sleep at night??

What I don’t understand is surely you have a front gate? And a path that leads to your front door. If a burglar wanted to break in, why go to the trouble of walking in next door’s entrance, over the (non dropped kerb), climb on the smart bin store, climb over the tatty fence and jump in to your garden? Why not just walk in to your property?

If you are worried about potential burglars climbing over the fence, I would train pyracantha to grow along the top of the fence. It has 6 inch thorns, so a good burglar deterrent.
If a burglar is determined to get in, they probably will. Your aim is to make your house not worthy of their attention, compared to others in the road.

But FFS you DO need planning permission for ANY structure in a front garden

This is in their front garden somehow giving easier access to your back garden?

So not better access to your front where people can access from road and might be seen - but to secluded side/back garden of yours.

I think I'd be annoyed - and maybe try the council - but I'd also try looking at improving security in case they get retrospective permission.

I'd suggest Firethorns, Holly and security lights and possibly beefed up locks.

Lol ok fine clearly I'm overreacting - but I imagine none of you have been burgled and had everything of value to you stolen or you might have a little more empathy.
You're all wrong about needing permission though!

what is your objective here? you asked if you are BU and you have several replies saying you are, several saying you aren't or whatever.
But you are absolutely only convinced you're correct. So report and see what happens and stop wittering away here.

Why on earth is barbed wire illegal?

(missing the point of the thread completely)

@Seeline That makes sense, thanks for explaining.

Interesting that you assume everyone who doesn't agree with you has never been burgled. I have been burgled - it was absolutely bloody horrific - and it had nothing to do with whether the neighbours did or did not have a bin store.

If that's where your neighbours put their bins, and the local burglars are particularly keen to target you, then surely they could just stand on the bins to get over your fence whether or whether not they're in a bin store. Or indeed just break in any other way.

Look the op is being unreasonable. However the ignorance on here is absolutely staggering. It is in front of the principal elevation the first sodding bullet point in the planning portal. Really saddened by the lack of basic reading comprehension that appears here.

I love that, if I had 800 quid lying around I'd buy it.

So, everyone’s missing the point, it’s not unreasonable to the OP therefore it is not unreasonable to ask her question. She’s been burgled before, that’s very traumatic, and wanted some advice or a voice of reason for goodness sake. What are we ‘mums’ here for if not that?
OP, I think the only advice you need is your own if this is the response you get my lovely, as long as it matters to you, then it matters. Do what you feel is right to keep you safe and comforted. My only advice for the safety part, practically as far as cameras or deterrents and emotionally as far as confidence or worry, is Start inward and work out. Good luck :)

First house we bought - complete secure garden - house went from boundary to boundary - next door had side access to their house and burglars came down their side of house and used their furniture to climb over fence into our garden.

We'd just moved in - and door went back garage wasn't secure as should have been - they broke though back and took vehicle after breaking garage door. Door to house opened into garage and though they didn't get access to house - we later improved that door to outside door and not lockable fire one that previous owners had put in.

We were left out of pocket - but just put better doors at back of garage and into house and started growing spiky plants where they could get over from next door fence - actually due to elevation only a panel worth and security light at back.

Never had issue again.

Next door only put in lights and gate when someone years later tried to force their back patio doors having used their side passage.

Here they apparently (according to planners on thread) do need permission as it's their front garden - but I wouldn't rely on any changes being made.

This is difficult. On the one hand, I've been burgled more than once (including when I was asleep) and it is something that scars you. I can imagine that you are not happy with the climbing frame aspect of the bin storage.

That said, we are all living far too close to eachother. People don't have enough space. These people have tried to smarten up their property and make something practical to put their bins in. That does all seem very reasonable. I understand that they have broken planning, but aside from that, their actions are reasonable and thousands of people have those little bin stores.

In your position, I would beef up your security and leave the neighbours alone. You could get a motion sensing light for your back garden so that the whole garden (I'm presuming it's not massive?) gets illuminated if someone climbs that fence. Also, you could get an alarm box on the back of your house (real or fake) that is lit and visible for someone attempting to break in round the back. Also, try to eliminate places a burglar could sneak behind and hide once he's accessed the back garden. Make sure your back door etc is alarmed (you can buy stick on ones instead of having to do a massive upgrade). You can also stick them on windows. If you have a gate between the back and front of the property, you can put cat spikes on there. They are designed to deter cats, they aren't so sharp as to make a cat bleed, they just deter them - but also they definitely deter burglars. You could even put these across the top of the fence where the bin is. Fairly unobtrusive, you can choose a matching colour, easy to install.

www.amazon.co.uk/Intruder-Deterrent-Repellent-Fence-Spikes/dp/B06WVH13Z1/ref=asc_df_B06WVH13Z1?tag=bingshoppinga-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=80401880557912&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4584001424783516&psc=1

Half the time the planning department don’t seem to know their arses from elbows anyway. We had a three month argument with planning over a dropped kerb. Turns out we didn’t need planning permission for it at all. The one same guy told us we didn’t need it, then we did, then we didn’t.

So many massive type sheds and structures in front garden around here I doubt any would have planning permission looking at them.

I couldn’t get worked up over a bin store though. It would be rather petty to report.

I've been burgles before OP, my husband has never recovered from it actually, ot was a horrific experience I wouldn't wish on anyone.
We have cameras, gravel, smart lighting, ring doorbell, extra secure windows and doors he would have bars at the windows if i would let him, and he is still anxious.

On this particular issue though I think it is your anxiety clouding your judgement, although thank you for teaching me some planning laws we have been thinking about a bin store as every other house seems to have them since we have 23 different colour bins and planning wouldn't have occured to me.

They will use ladders or their mate to climb over fences. Our dog woke us, and bit him.

@Brefugee the op has conceded she was unreasonable and overreacting about the bins and made it clear that she has no intention of reporting her neighbour so think you are being harsh here. Her only objective now seems to be to be right

Posted too soon....right about the planning permission which tbf I can't blame her as she has had the majority of ppl tell her you don't need pp for bin storage, when she is actually correct

Great link to something that is irrelevant without knowing where you live, as the rules vary council to council.....

I don't think whether you've been burgled or not is relevant to whether you can understand that people can jump on top of bins as easily as bin stores.

I would increase the height of the trellis on the fence, as burglars don't like it as it won't support their weight and they don't want to make a noise or bring attention to themselves.
Explain to the neighbour why you are doing it (but not rude way)

If it is your front garden is there not another access that a burglar might use, similar to a postman?

...........

Thanks to all the kind people who made helpful suggestions. I will definitely be implementing any that aren't already in place. We do have alarms and cameras and security lights already but I will get a light for that specific part of the garden.

And to those confused by the geography - it is our back garden bordering on to next door's front garden. We are end terrace so neighbour is technically on a different street round the corner

Only if it’s over 12ft high. And it’s nowhere near that.

I thought you were leaving 😆

OP: AIBU?
MN: yes
OP: waaaaaaaah no I’m not

🙄