AIBU to expect neighbours to accept our approved house rebuild plans?

[WarmLimeLurker]

DH and I recently bought what we hope will be our forever home. We were only able to do so because of inheritance DH inherited from his late father, and I'd inherited from my grandfather years ago. I'd kept my inheritance invested for around 12 years, and together we were able to buy the property outright.

The house itself wasn't why we bought it. We bought it because we absolutely loved the location, knowing from day one that we'd be replacing the existing house with a home that would suit our family for the long term. We have three young children (6, 3 and 15 months), so we're still living in our London flat while the project gets underway.

We spent over a year working through the planning process. The plans were amended, neighbours had the opportunity to comment, objections were considered, and the council ultimately granted planning permission.
Now we're preparing to start, a handful of neighbours have become quite vocal. We've been told we're ruining the street, that the house is too large, and that we should rethink the project altogether.

I completely appreciate that living next to a building site isn't ideal, and we'll do everything we reasonably can to minimise disruption. What I'm struggling with is the feeling that, even though we've followed every rule and obtained permission, some people seem to think we shouldn't build at all.
Part of me also wonders whether some of the resentment is because we're currently based in London. There have been a few comments along the lines of "London people coming here and changing everything."

The irony is that this area is home for me. I grew up here, went to school here, my parents still live here, my grandparents are here, and this is exactly where I always hoped we'd eventually settle to raise our own children. We're not buying it as an investment or a developer's project we genuinely intend to live there for many years.

DH says we should stop worrying about what people think and just focus on our family. I can't help feeling uneasy that we're starting off on the wrong foot with the neighbours, but equally I don't think we should feel guilty for building a home that's been properly approved.

AIBU to think that once planning permission has been been granted, people should accept the decision and let us get on with building our forever home?

Is there a neighbour notification system where you live so they were fully aware of the plans? It is a detached house?

Our neighbours have been doing work for over a year. I’m sure it’s annoying for them, but the constant building noise is really, really annoying. Particularly on summer weekends!!

Just crack on. Neighbours often get annoyed at the prospect of building work. If you show weakness they’ll keep on harassing you. Of course, you should afford them the common courtesies around work timings and noise.
The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll be finished and street life can return to normal.

You’ve followed due process so you’ve done all you can. However it’s pretty obvious your future neighbours would feel that way - most people would! So you’ve made your choice. They may forget in a generation or two

Hi op. The law is on your side here. The time for them to object was during the planning process. Objections once planning have been granted are generally ignored. Building work is a feature of living in this country and, wherever you live, you run the risk that someone might build near you. That’s life.
Personally I would inform immediate neighbours about the build programme then ensure your builders stick to it (easier said than done, but definitely possible with a decent firm), ensure work doesn’t start too early and run too late and avoid weekend working. Enjoy your new home xx

There are proper channels to appeal against planning permissions. Presumably the planned alterations were advertised locally as expected, so locals had their chances to object. The council will have decided if the development was suitable for the area.You can't alter/modernise without some disruption. Do they expect the local housing stock never to have any work done on it?
Sounds to me like a bunch of people with too much time on their hands looking for stuff to gossip about. Maybe they are a bit jealous that they can't develop their property in the same way.

Nobody likes change but they will get used to it. Be pleasant and polite and just carry on.

There is often resentment about dfl (down from London) types.

nobody likes living close to a house that’s having building work. We did an extension once and the neighbours hated the disruption.

be nice to the neighbours you are planning to live there for a long time and in my experience they have long memories.

I mean you may as well just crack on and accept your neighbours may not be particularly friendly for your time living there. You must have realised that this was a strong possibility. They may well get over it eventually but if they are that upset then they may not. It’s the chance you take really.

There were objections to the planning process we changed our plans a few time. At the end of the day the sale went through and we made these plans very clear to the owner/sellers we didn’t buy the house for the house we bought it so we can completely rebuild it. DH and I are both architects we know what we can and cannot do. It’s now our house we fully own it now.

Councils nowadays grant just about anything if it brings them money. They don't care about the look or impact on the street unless it's a conservation area.

You've done nothing wrong but your neighbours are entitled to hate it. Sadly, you're likely to have neighbours who don't like you from the start. That might get better as they get to know you, or get worse.

It is not up the neighbours to accept the plans. It’s up to the council, who have accepted and approved them.

Your neighbours don’t have to like your plans and nor do they have to like the work and disruption. The best you can do is demonstrate you’re being as considerate as possible and be a decent neighbour when you move in.

Just accept that they will probably never like you or be friends but you have the legal right to build so just crack on with it and ignore them. At least you don’t have to live there during the build and see them.

Yeah they’re probably pissed off that they will be the ones living with the day to day disruption while you’re breezing along life as usual in London, op.

How long will the build take @WarmLimeLurker ?
And is this a detached house?
And how are they 'being vocal'? To your face? Rumour mill? Having rebellious meetings to scupper you? Grumbling to each other?
How different is your proposed house to the rest of the street?

You have done things by the book which is commendable. But people don't have to roll over and like it, they can still be pissed off. It's more a question of whether they have reasonable reasons to be pissed off, how they are manifesting the pissed-offness, or whether they are being really unreasonable.
Not enough info from you to make any kind of judgement yet.

Did you see the thread yesterday about the blue painted house? I thought that was fascinating. 😂

well of course they are pissed now because you be got all the permissions and it a clear you re going to start.

ignore them, be strong, respect the hours you re allowed to do work - i dont let my builders work passed 12.30pm on a saturday and only if they really have to.

get on with it. And remember you are adding value to the whole street.

This is the choice you have. Or sell up.

I'd go ahead and build.

I’m confused - if you live in London and this house is some distance away, how are you speaking to all the neighbours regularly?

Your neighbours don't have to be happy about the council's decision, and nor do they care about what the house means to you or the fact that you've designed it yourselves. They should not be impeding the work in any way but they are allowed to dislike you for it.

Most people don't like change so don't expect them to be on board with your journey. Be polite and informative when necessary but don't engage with plain moaning. Try to put in some advantages for them, eg when my next door neighbour did a renovation he took out a side window that overlooked us and put up a much nicer, higher garden fence. It really helped on the days we were fed up with the disruption.

Adding value to the whole street?
We have no way of knowing that and the opposite could be true. Really depends on the build, which op has carefully given very little detail about.

Knock yourself out and build your dream home.
You may just have to accept that you aren't liked at all by the neighbours.

Building work is often horribly destructive. My amazing Granny's last year of her life was spent unable to sit out into the garden due to endless building work next door.

Also, when designing it, did you ensure it was no more intrusive than the existing property or are you harming their views /light/privacy?

it may well be that you accept that in building your dream home the price you pay is the loss of friendly neighbours. And that's just something you need to make peace with.

My neighbour has been doing what seems like constant DIY since Dec.
The angle grinder isn’t in her house, but outside and away from her property so all the neighbours can “appreciate” it. She has every right of course but it’s hard to be gracious when you see the sodding work van turn up every morning.
Just get on with what you need to do, but don’t expect your neighbours to be happy for you.

Assuming the neighbours in close proximity were posted the proposals, you are not being unreasonable - as I assume they did not object. If they have just realised and are now cheesed off with the imminent months-long annoyance, well that is their own fault for not objecting when they could.

Make up when you move in, have a party, send them all gifts for putting up with the work. Hopefully once it's done they will accept it, it may increase the value of their homes. But I hope it's not too out of keeping with the neighbourhood some new builds are an eyesore.

Absolutely all of this. I have a close, elderly family member about to have to endure this. They did object on grounds of loss of privacy but that wasn't enough to stop it apparently. Why on earth do people buy a house that doesn't suit their needs and then completely ruin the peace and views of those already living there? Ah yes, you like the location so stuff everyone else.

I live close to a town with lots of beautiful sandstone villas… some one recently knocked one down and in its place is a glass monstrosity that looks like it belongs in some serial killer horror movie as one side is basically all glass, it looks appalling and everyone was very surprised it got allowed!