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.

London borders, but backing onto lovely woodland.

I wouldn’t hesitate to report it. If falls into permitted development, well you just have to suck it up.
but no way would I take their word for it being ok.

And regardless of the outcome, if it means the neighbours fall out with you, well they were never nice in the 1st place because as you say they’ve chosen to put it in a position that suits them with no consideration of how it impacts you.

It’s about 12 foot isn’t it?

Yes but on a slope so towers at 4.5m, plus which our garden is dropped from theirs so effectively the size of another house from the vantage of our garden.

Agree.

Time to go back to the old ways and build an outside toilet.
Particularly lovely in summer.

That’s way over then!

OP, you mention that you have had some shouting matches with your NDN.

Just a word to the wise, I would recommend trying to keep things civil and simply seeking recourse via the Council, otherwise you will be compelled to disclose any dispute on a TA6 if/when you sell.

4.5m???!!!! That's bloody enormous!!!

In your situation I would move heaven and earth to protect my garden.

Garden rooms and sheds fall within permitted development but they have to meet size guidelines.

Go ahead and report it, worst that can happen to you is it’s fine and it can stay.

Worst for them is they have to move it.

I don’t think you’ll have a neighbourly relationship going forward, but I assume you have already factored this into any future decisions you might make about your own property that could impact them.

And I wish people would consider their neighbours when building huge extensions, garden offices and garden bars.

Sadly, many don’t do they?

A function of an f-you world, and a transitory population with a decline in ‘neighbourliness’.

We are surrounded by neighbours like this, so we adopted the ‘can’t beat them, join them’ approach.

https://www.thegardenroomguide.co.uk/planning/garden-room-permitted-development/

Oh Op how horrible are they. It’s incredibly unneighbourly.
I can’t believe they think it’s ok to spoil your view and light.

If planning doesn’t resolve this it’s time to get a hot pub, garden bar, dogs that bark at every pigeon and summer parties every night it doesn’t rain.

And lots of really annoying flashing lights.

Because it blocks their view, makes their home feel crowded in, creates shade, unsettles ground impacting plants, imposes on local wildlife etc etc.

Makes them jealous and also makes their houses look small and crap in comparison.

Report them quickly, once it's complete they will probably get away with it, incomplete they may be told to keep within regs.

The guy is broke so they wouldn’t recover anything and the council is on the brink of bankruptcy itself with primary responsibility to pay for child and adult social care and refuse collection. The garden home is probably 10 years from being in a dangerous state and it is also away from any houses / pavements….

Do report it OP. In lockdown our directly opposite neighbour built a garden bar in their front garden. Complete with bar, seating, lights, heating and sound system. As they are slightly higher than us on a hill, the noise from their outdoor entertaining just bathes our house and it's such an eyesore from my kitchen window that I've put a screen blind up. I reported it but it was during Covid when no one was working in the planning office and it was deemed a breach of planning (for being so large and in the front garden) but it was deemed not worthy of persuing and the neighbours were "invited" to apply for restrospective planning.

They had a party this Saturday and I was ready to set fire to the fucking thing by 11pm. They started at 12.......

This is 100% wrong. The slope is critical in this case. One of the PP quoted the law about slopes. It's from the highest point that it's a max height of 2.5. If it then slopes down and away the other end will be higher than 2.5 and still within PD rights.

I know this because I have a certificate of lawful development for a large garden building that starts at 2.5 and slopes to 3.5m at the boundary.

Large oak woodland by any chance? Which region/borough of London? Some are better on chasing enforcement than others and in my area the oak woodland ups the rating of the area in conservation terms (which helps enforcement).

Complain about the noise and point out the absence of planning permission

After three complaints go for an anti social behaviour case review

To add to my above post, here is the government technical guidance. It's a class E outbuilding. Search the page for "height" to see the definition which says the measurement is from the highest point next to the building so, logically, if it's on a slope the lower points will be higher.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/permitted-development-rights-for-householders-technical-guidance/permitted-development-rights-for-householders-technical-guidance#class-e-buildings-etc

And disclose all this when you sell.

Not smart, may I suggest.

If planning permission allows it, then I can't really see why you think you have a right to control your neighbour's property. If you didn't take potential developments into account when you bought your property, you're a bit of a fool, aren't you?

@MyNameIsX - I was actually going to mention that in my original reply. It always seems that the NIMBYs squeal and moan about extensions and then ten years later they've all done exactly the same thing. I expect you still think you're somehow superior to the people you're now copying. 🙄

It's like when a Lidl or Aldi opens a store and they all loudly complain about the lowering of the tone and impact upon house prices, but then end up shopping there.