Neighbours Garden Office

[Soontobesingles]

My neighbours have recently started having work done to add an office/summer house thing to their garden. No planning permission and it is absolutely massive - to the point it will put 1/2 my lovey sunny garden in shade. I have told them that it is too high and they need planning permission. Builders insisting they don’t as something to do with a slope in the garden but rules are about height from foundations. Anyway, I have said I will report if it isn’t sufficiently reduced and both neighbour and builders are going mad saying £1,000s already spent on materials and plans, labour etc. AIBU to say I don’t care an will report? My garden is my sanctuary and many of my plants will die if shaded year round.

Contact your local Councillor and get them to make enquiries.

When we were getting quotes for our garden office, it was surprising how many people who came to quote were either ignorant or dismissive of the permitted development rules. We were fed some right old tripe about what was allowed. Absolutely report it if it doesn't comply.

Sounds like they might have needed to get building regs as well as planning permission if it's that big.

Regardless of the habitability of it (sleeping provision etc) if it's within 1m of a boundary and more than 15 sq metres in sure you need building regs approval too.

If they were occupying less than 50% of the plot and were compliant with the rules, why would the planning department be interested?

People aren't obliged to provide you with a view of a nice garden when you look out of your upstairs windows.

🙄

@ThisOldThang They occupied much more of his garden than 50%.The sheds were highly visible from ground level. I don’t think I mentioned looking out of an upstairs window? I should imagine that you are also one of the inconsiderate idiots that many people are unfortunate enough to live next to nowadays. As many others on this thread have mentioned planning departments quite often don’t take action when they should.

No one is obliged to do anything except to comply with the law. However doing things that deliberately or carelessly negatively impact those around you is rude and a sure way to ruin your relationships. Cheating on your partner is not illegal but generally frowned upon. Going into the disabled toilet when you are not disabled and there is a person with a disability waiting is not illegal but pretty shitty. Equally building a fuck off massive structure that ruins your kindly neighbours enjoyment of their property is not necessarily against regs (though I think this one is) but it is a massively shitty thing to do, especially without discussion. My neighbour (so next door but one from the structure) is also livid because size of the build and gradient of hill also puts their garden in shade, so it isn’t just a bit annoying to us it affects the neighbourhood. I can’t really understand the mindset of ‘fuck you’ it takes to do this to your neighbours.

@Soontobesingles exactly! It is this horrible ‘fuck you’ attitude that’s unfortunately very prevalent in today’s society. I wish you the very best of luck in getting this horrible situation resolved.

@Berryslacks Our neighbour built a single storey side extension leaving a 1m gap/party down the side of the house.

We've now submitted planning to do similar also with a 1m path. They're now moaning about how we're going to impact their 'right to light'.

I just find the whole system annoying.

Everybody has a 'fuck you' attitude - e.g. OP saying she hopes their neighbour's shed burns down. You calling people inconsiderate idiots for building sheds on their own property, while showing no consideration for their shed requirements, etc.

It’s not a shed. It’s a massive garden office the size of a small dwelling in a tiny urban garden, on a hill. As I explained my ‘hope it burns’ was tongue in cheek. We do all we can to be kind and neighbourly to these people. We do not consult them on every aspect of our own property choices but as I say to choose to do something so rude to your neighbours is truly bizarre.

Have you looked up ‘permitted development’, does it fall within this

Actually had a conversation with a friend about them possible having a garden room built... Apparently adding a water supply can make it liable for a second home rate council tax.... As it would make it an actual dwelling not just a room.

Make sure you add the water supply onto your enquiry op.

Draw on an actual piece of paper and post a photo of the drawing.

so sloping sites you measure from the highest point of the land adjacent to the structure, which will probably be c2.5m - depending on how the slope on the roof is done. the front of the structure at the bottom of the slope will therefore look huge, but fro what i can see within PD rights, also as long as they dont use more than 50% of their entire garden (in total), front, back, sides etc then they are fine.

Neighbours at my former home tried this one with an extension; they tried to forge ahead regardless and present a "fait accompli", and were thunderstruck when permission was not only denied, but they were obliged to remove the potion was already built.
Sadly, we were never on good terms again,

You can make a claim for light depravation affecting your garden plus garden buildings not requiring PP do not have footings/foundations, only a base.
There are some quite simple example drawings online at the planning department of your local council which will explain everything but I am fairly sure the heights can't exceed 3m max.

When we viewed our house this absolutely massive bastard garden house wasn't there...imagine our shock when we moved in! It's WAY taller than the 2.5m allowed (it might be hard to tell but they are normal sized fence panels and they are raised and that part of our garden is raised and their garden is lower than ours) 😂The didn't even have the decency to paint it!

We just built an even bigger one in front of it - check mate!

Seriously though, report it and if it's legal (which it sounds like it isn't, read the below*) you'll have to repurpose that part of your garden - remove the flowers and make it into a zen seating area or something. It's not ideal, but at least you won't be angry every time you go into your garden!

Generally, a single-story outbuilding in the UK can be built up to a maximum eaves height of 2.5 meters. The overall height, including the roof, can be up to 4 meters for a dual-pitched (gable) roof, or 3 meters for other roof types. However, if the outbuilding is within 2 meters of a property boundary, the overall height is limited to 2.5 meters*

Also buildings people at council

I am in the process of having a downstairs toilet installed, and Building Control have been extremely helpful. It's definitely worth the OP getting in touch with them.

I think you’ve been very lucky with your neighbours so far. I’m afraid there are a lot of self-centred people like this these days.

From your neighbours perspective given the changes in ground level it’s highly likely that if they kept the height of their building at 2.5m on your side they wouldn’t be able to use it on there’s. The internal fl to ceiling height would be far too low.
They therefore would be unable to use the building or in fact build anything in their garden at all.

I don’t know how wide the garden is of course. If it’s wide they could move it away from the boundary but you did say it was a London townhouse

OPs issue is a planning issue. Not a building regs one

They could have put it at the end of their garden or on the other side which has a high fence and is raised a meter above their garden so wouldn’t intrude. No idea why they’ve done this, it almost seems deliberate to spoil our sun trap.

Call me cynical but it could be that they want to put it on your boundary because they are happy with the high fence on the other side, and they don't want to reduce the length of their own garden. So putting it against your boundary covers the aspect that is least pleasing for them, with no thought for you OP. Some people are selfish

I've changed my mind (having properly read the guidance!) and agree with @WhatMyNameis that the maximum height is 2.5m. It's in the guidance that height is the highest bit next to the building but if you read on (as I hadn't) it makes it clear that it's 2.5m max if it's closer than 2m to the boundary.

Did your cat draw this? 🤣🤣

Wait until it's finished. Then report it.
If they,'re in the wrong they'll have spent even more money pointlessly if they're in the right, it was always going to be finished anyway