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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to report my CF neighbour CF for doing the same thing she's reported me for to Planning?

80 replies

DividedHouses · 05/01/2023 04:54

We own part of a big old house which is divided into five "residential units" really mini houses- we each have our own front/back doors and front/back gardens. We're on one end. Over the last few years we've done some like-for-like replacements (leaky oil tank, falling down porch and steps). The adjoining neighbour put in a complaint to planning (and told us she'd done it -- she's a bit off and is always having disputes with the nice old chap the other side of her). We didn't worry thinking everything we had done fell squarely under permitted development since she's the type to report you if your bin's a bit dirty.

Wrong! Letter from planning tells us permitted development doesn't apply in divided houses and now we need retrospective planning for it all. Would she/planning have preferred us to let the old oil tank leak, the porch fall down altogether (rotting!) and my older spouse break his neck on the steps (one was missing!)? Anyway.... so the letter recommends we hire a specialist firm and get plans drawn up and request permission for what we already did.

Irony is this CF has built one of those wooden shed/pod things at the end of the garden telling everyone it's permitted development..it's large and has a veranda and 3 rooms!

AND she originally bought two of the little houses we all live in and converted them into big one, again telling us all it was permitted development.

WIBU to report her? And if I do, does anyone know planning rules for subdivided houses? Can you build a wooden hut in your garden under permitted development if you live in a divided house? Can you combine two houses into one under permitted development if they are part of a divided house?

She did both of these things more than four years ago -- does the four year rule apply (if not reported in four years they let it go)?

Thanks for replying if you have any insights! I'm resigned to spending money we haven't got to fix the problem and get retrospective approval, but I'd like to either report her or let her know she's reporting us for stuff she's done that she shouldn't (if that's the case...)

Voting:
YANBU Report the CF.
YABU No, don't report her - two wrongs don't make a right.

OP posts:
bestchristmasever · 05/01/2023 04:56

Sorry but your strikethrough makes that really hard to read.

poefaced · 05/01/2023 04:59

@bestchristmasever there is no strikethrough. Must be your device.

GreenFingersWouldBeHandy · 05/01/2023 04:59

Sounds like you're going to report her whatever is said here.

If you have the time and money to throw at it then go for it, but don't dress it up as anything but tit for tat.

Yes, she sounds annoying, but if you're going to stoop to the same levels, then so are you. Hope you all enjoy living next to each other!

poefaced · 05/01/2023 05:01

WIBU to report her?

YANBU at all. Report her asap. Don’t tell her.

poefaced · 05/01/2023 05:01

GreenFingersWouldBeHandy · 05/01/2023 04:59

Sounds like you're going to report her whatever is said here.

If you have the time and money to throw at it then go for it, but don't dress it up as anything but tit for tat.

Yes, she sounds annoying, but if you're going to stoop to the same levels, then so are you. Hope you all enjoy living next to each other!

It’s not going cost OP to report her.

ByTheGrace · 05/01/2023 05:03

I can't answer your question, but no idea what the reply about strikethrough is talking about, I can't see any?
As for the neighbour, I would just report anyway.

bestchristmasever · 05/01/2023 05:08

I'm on the app. Photo attached.

AIBU to report my CF neighbour CF for doing the same thing she's reported me for to Planning?
PurplePetalPip · 05/01/2023 05:11

A big chunk in the middle has strikethrough applied for me as well - just backing @bestchristmasever up as no one else seems to see it!

chillibop · 05/01/2023 05:13

I have a strike through too!

bestchristmasever · 05/01/2023 05:13

Thank you @PurplePetalPip !

I've attached a screenshot to my last post it's so odd

I wear strong glasses and I already struggle with the small text on the app and with the strike through it's unreadable for me.

MissSmiley · 05/01/2023 05:14

I can see the strike though on the app

I'd call the planning department and find out what the rules are, say you aren't clear, give what she has done as an example (and at the same time dob her in)

hattie43 · 05/01/2023 05:17

bestchristmasever · 05/01/2023 04:56

Sorry but your strikethrough makes that really hard to read.

I can see loads of strike through , too much to read properly

poefaced · 05/01/2023 05:21

hattie43 · 05/01/2023 05:17

I can see loads of strike through , too much to read properly

Show quote history

There is no strikethrough. It’s your device or app.

bestchristmasever · 05/01/2023 05:23

@poefaced I attached a screenshot.

On the iOS app there is a ton of strikethrough.

I'll attach it again here.

There definitely is strikethrough for me (and others).

AIBU to report my CF neighbour CF for doing the same thing she's reported me for to Planning?
sjxoxo · 05/01/2023 05:23

I can read it fine - no strikethrough for me. How odd!

YADNBU. I’d report her. How annoying and what’s the point of her having reported you. Sounds like hassle for nothing! I’d report her after what she’s done. X

poefaced · 05/01/2023 05:24

bestchristmasever · 05/01/2023 05:23

@poefaced I attached a screenshot.

On the iOS app there is a ton of strikethrough.

I'll attach it again here.

There definitely is strikethrough for me (and others).

I believed you! But the point is OP hasn’t done the strikethrough so pointless to tell her, she can’t do anything about it!

bestchristmasever · 05/01/2023 05:26

Why are people saying definitively there is no strike through when there is on the app?

I can't use the mobile site on my phone it crashes my phone and glitches and reloads (and I reset the number of posts per page to the lowest and it made no difference).

I actually feel like I'm going mad. I see a strike through. I have taken a screenshot. And I'm being told there is no strike through. But there actually is I can see it.

lifeinthehills · 05/01/2023 05:28

No strike through for me. I'm reading on a computer.

FeinCuroxiVooz · 05/01/2023 05:30

MissSmiley · 05/01/2023 05:14

I can see the strike though on the app

I'd call the planning department and find out what the rules are, say you aren't clear, give what she has done as an example (and at the same time dob her in)

this. you can ask for clarification of the rules either during a phone call or during the assessment visits while you are getting the retrospective permission arranged.

is the building listed? it might be more to do with the age and character of the building rather than the fact that it's divided up. but either way, it'snot that they would have preferred the repairs/replacements not to be made but that there are specific standards and other criteria that have to be met to ensure that you don't make a choice in your own renovations that negatively affects your neighbours. if all the choices you made were reasonable, the materials were high quality and there was no bodge jobbing or corner cutting then retrospectively permission should be fairly simple and not very expensive. i had to arrange retrospective permission once and it was really no big deal. would only have been an issue if the original work had been done so much on the cheap that it needed to be torn down and redone.

but as for your neighbour, by all means say to all the planning people you can speak to "But can you clarify why permitted development doesn't apply here when (neighbour) was able to (...) apparently as a permitted development?" and you can point out the garden building during the visit (especially if it negatively affects you or other neighbours) and ask why permission wasn't needed for it.

Plexie · 05/01/2023 05:30

Your local council probably has an online database of all planning applications in their jurisdiction for at least the last decade. Check on there whether neighbour got planning permission. If they didn't, report them to Planning.

It seems odd for neighbour to report your planning infringements if they also have infringements.

girlmom21 · 05/01/2023 05:36

Yep - strike through on the app.

OP is it causing you a problem? I'd assume not if you haven't looked into any planning issues in 4 years. If not, don't retaliate.

HotChoxs · 05/01/2023 05:40

What a CF. C is not for cheeky.
I have voted not unreasonable for you to retaliate but I'm aware that this is not my life and it may end up in a back and forth which causes more problems.
On the other hand they sound like a CF who will cause more problems so what's the difference
You'll have to declare all this when you sell.
Will it achieve anything?

Butitsnotfunnyisititsserious · 05/01/2023 05:42

chillibop · 05/01/2023 05:13

I have a strike through too!

Same here.

Alleycat1 · 05/01/2023 05:47

Reading on my Kindle and there is no strike through.

Op, ask the relevant authorities as if you want permission to do what your.neighbour has done. Once you have that information you can decide what to do with it.

Thepossibility · 05/01/2023 05:48

I have the app and it's all clear.
OP I would have reported her already, cheeky b**ch.

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