Advice needed, construction next door.

[Skarossinkplunger]

We live in a rented house that is the last house on the estate and has a large field next door which is also owned by our landlords who live out of the country.

A few weeks after we moved in we found out our landlords also owned the field and has previously applied for planning permission to build a house on it but this had been refused.

Some months ago they applied for planning permission again and while we obviously didn’t want them building we didn’t feel we could object as they own our home and we didn’t want any strained relations. Despite a large number of objections from others on the estate this time permission was granted.

Nothing happened for a while. Then a few moths ago a flat bed truck with a digger on it turned up at 8am on a Saturday and worked for about an hour, turning over a small part of the land then left. Nothing else happened until two months ago again early on a Saturday a company with two large trucks arrived to fence off the field. They blocked our drive off with the trucks. Stood in our front garden to erect part of the fence and left litter in the road when they left. My husband who works at home spoke to the landlords father who is our contact and he apologised and said that he would speak to them, but as they were finished the fencing they wouldn’t be back anyway.

Again nothing for a few months then this morning as I was leaving for work at 7 I passed a truck with a digger pulling on to the estate. Sure enough my husband has sent me a photo of it pulled up right outside our house and they have been banging an clanging ever since.

I’m now dreading months of noise and inconvenience and whilst I know they are well within their rights I would love some advice about what they can and can’t do at what times. It particularly the early morning on the weekends that I’m dreading.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Look on your local council website. All the regulations are on there.

You should be able to look at the pp online and see what conditions were placed upon it - it may state specific hours. The council website should also give general policy on working hours etc. As tenants your lease probably includes a right to quiet enjoyment of the property so you should not have lorries and excessive noise on the property without due notice and your agreement. Ask the ll for the proposed work schedule so you can at least be forewarned.

www.barnet.gov.uk/dam/jcr:95a0c305-95be-4a53-bdf8-328d92430f81/noise-on-construction-site-guidelines-2017.pdf

This is from a google search but most local authorities, including mine, will have guidance available on their websites regarding construction code of practice, usually in the environmental health section. The different local authorities will all refer to the main legislation which I think is in the environmental protection act.

Yes - there may be a condition on the permission regarding the submission of a construction management plan which ought to provide a schedule of works and arrangements to minimise construction traffic disturbance/obstruction.

Since your landlord is the developer I can appreciate that it may be difficult to take up with them, but it may be that given that you didn’t object to the application and in the interest of not having a vacant/unlettable house while they get on with the build, they offer some form of rent reduction or at least reassurance regarding what they will do to mitigate noise and disturbance to you.

Thanks to everyone who has offered advice. There doesn’t seem to be any restrictions on the planning application, but at least I’m more informed about the noise restrictions.

Meantime I’ve come home to this (the fence is ours)