New flats are ruining our home!

[Musimancmama]

Can anyone help?!

We moved into our house in 2021 and we've spent a lot of money renovating it. It's on a lovely cul de sac that was tree lined at one end. Recently, a block of new flats has started being built right across the end of the street and it blocks the entire view and is absolutely hideous.

Myself and our neighbours had no idea how bad the building would be, otherwise we would have protested the plans more forcefully. But now the light is much less across the whole street and the balconies will overlook our road and gardens

The whole thing is making me feel really depressed, especially when I think of how much this will have effected the value of our home and will make it more difficult to sell in the future.

Also, many of our houses are experiencing cracks from the building work and it's very noisy all day.

Does anyone know if/how we can complain to the council and perhaps get some compensation for loss of value due to their poor planning decision?

Thanks!

many of our houses are experiencing cracks from the building work

If this is true, it is the most important thing to make a fuss about. Why is it buried in paragraph 4 after loss of view and light and value? Because it’s not really true? That damages the credibility of the rest of your complaints.

If it is true, shut up about the view, light, value, which just makes you sound like a NIMBY, and alert the council to the damage.

You're not going to get any compensation.

I've objected to a couple of things on behalf of my elderly mum recently, you need to have a really strong case and sadly things like light and privacy aren't taken seriously now.

The cracks you should be compensated for. But if you didn't feel you objected enough initially, no one will compensate you for that. I'm guessing you saw plans etc?

How was it you weren't aware? Aren't there any local newspapers or community?

Sounds really stressful and tbh in an ideal world there should be compensation but in reality i doubt there is.
Just wanted to say that not blocking building of new homes is also a positive too. There is such a crisis for young people not being able to afford homes and having to rent into their thirties and get a huge mortgage.
Blocking new building is one of the many factors, please don't do it!
I appreciate it may block views and could devalue your house a bit, but your house has (pretty much everywhere) appreciated in value hugely and it's young people paying the price. Your view might be effected but they don't have a home. They have never had a chance to renovate or make a place theirs, or have stability. This has nock on impacts like delaying having kids, having to spend the vast majority of income on mortgage. You have accidentally done something positive here too in not blocking the building of new homes x

No chance of compensation
Protesting more about the planning application is very unlikely to have made any difference
Re the cracks get a structural surveyor in

Zero chance of compensation for loss of value I'm afraid but if you can pored the cracks are caused by the building work, you may have a case there.

Loss of value is no grounds to object, presumably you knew of the application and had an opportunity to comment? The details of what was passed and any conditions would be online so best you can do is to check those and highlight any variances to Planning.