Behind my house will be a Council development

[JuliaMC]

Hi,
I bought my house 2 years ago in a small town on a Council estate. The house is a terrace house with a very small back garden. When we decided to buy the house the area was very quiet and very well located, had a field with flowers and trees behind the house and a lovely view over the Snowdonia Mountains.
Now we received a letter from a private developer that just behind my back garden on that field it will be a development of a care home with 40 beds, a 75 beds of extra care, a community hub, a new road and a car park for 50 cars. Me and my neighbors went for an open evening and chat with the developer and raised our concerns. In the plans the car park boundaries are literally behind my back garden that is only 4x4 meters. I am concerned that this will affect my privacy, will de evaluate the property, pollution, noise, loosing the view, will affect my family mental health and wellbeing as I have a child with severe ADHD/ASD.
I have sent emails to everyone involved with photos, what else can I do? Can I request a compensation?

Have you formally lodged an objection to the planning permission?

You and the neighbours who are also affected should speak to a lawyer.

it has to be built somewhere doesn’t it?

sell and buy somewhere else

A car park behind is far far better than a block of flats behind! By all means object - be sure to read what valid reasons you can object on - for the development eg traffic and exit routes from the site is a good one - developer near my friend wants to put an estate of 70+ houses with an exit/entrance to the estate between the entrance & exit of a car park opposite, that car park serves a school, so you can imagine that's going to be a tricky one to approve, but I would expect it to happen in the long term anyway.

Good. Care places are desperately needed.

If you've been to the developer public meeting then it’s in pre-planning probably and may not have been submitted for approval. If it’s been submitted for approval you should be able to find it on the council website (presuming Cyngor Gwynedd?) https://www.gwynedd.llyw.cymru/en/Residents/Planning-and-building-control/Planning/Planning.aspx

Contact your County Councillor too. They will know about any developments in your/their ward.

Do you not think that is quite a mean reply to OP, who is clearly worried?

No, I don’t think it’s mean at all. A care home is no threat to anyone. Really don’t understand the problem.

OP, what did the searches say about that land when you bought the property?
I bought my house partly for the view (down a hill) of woodland. It's a scheduled ancient woodland, so is unlikely to be built on, and there's not enough demand for high-density housing in the area for anyone to buy up the houses between mine and the wood and put up tower blocks!
See if you can get 30 minutes free advice from a local solicitor or via any legal cover you have (e.g. with your home insurance or your Employer Assistance Programme at work or your trade union). You need to understand how to object to planning applications and on what grounds you can object. Compensation is not a likely outcome, but there's the possibility of planning permission being refused (if it's not already been granted) or a slightly more likely outcome of plans being amended to reduce their impact on local residents, address road safety concerns etc.

There is always a risk if you buy near open country that a planning application will go in . Check the grounds on which you can object and see if any apply . I don’t see how compensation comes into it .

You’ll lose your view, which is a shame but I don’t think pollution, mental health & well-being etc are going to be a problem. I know it’s disappointing, but it’s the risk you take when you buy next to open land. A care home is quite a nice neighbour - usually it’s housing estates.

Honestly, this is what happens when you buy a house next to a convenient field

A care home is no bother. At least the residents won't be doing donuts in the carpark or hanging out on the other side of your fence smoking weed all day. This is life, everywhere gets more and more built up because we live on a small island. If you want to live on the edge of town or semi rurally, it's going to mean constantly moving further out as towns expand. Maybe feel lucky that's still an option? At some point it won't be and people will all live in towns whether they like it or not, unless they literally live on a farm because they're farmers or are stinking rich and live in a big house on their own private country estate. There will be no semi rural left and the edge of one town will connect with the edge of another. After that they'll have to start building upwards and those living in houses with even tiny gardens will become the lucky or rich ones, as the majority will end up living in a block of flats whether they like it or not.

This. A care home is the best option really.

This is why I live in town because you know what is around you, it isn't a lottery.

If you fight the care home and win then potentially 500 houses will be built next year. The land is going to be developed whether you like it or not. The care home will be your best outcome x

I wonder what the local reaction was when the council built your current house and neighbours!

I’m sorry op. I didn’t buy a cottage I was renting for this exact reason. Backed onto open countryside. Beautiful. Too risky.

Better to have one care home than loads of houses or flats.

If only that was the case OP. A very good friend bought a property next to a protected woodland, TPO’s on the trees etc, solicitor assured her it was a protected woodland. Now she lives next to a housing estate, TPO’s all removed regardless of the wildlife etc, the neighbours all campaigned against the development but it still went ahead.

It may be too late for this but my parents and their neighbours got together and bought the fields behind their homes to prevent a development.

The planning permission was speculative and the developers had yet to buy the land. The neighbours nipped in with a better offer.

I would talk to your local councillors and tell them your concerns. Also look at conditions for objecting to planning, they are quite specific. You have every right to object and you can get solicitors involved if you can afford it. It might be that you can mitigate some of the worst aspects, i.e. see if you can get the car park moved or the size reduced or some trees planted between you and them or whatever. I have known people get quite good mitigations on planning but you have to be organised and rigourous. Having said that, I agree a care home is a better option than housing.

I do not have any problem with the development and the purpose of it, I understand the need for the local economy and for the island. What I don't agree is to have a car park literally 4 feet away from my garden.

What is the land zoned for in the current Local Plan? If its already in there for that use category, you'll not really stand a chance. Emerging Local Plan process is usually the best time to object / lobby land use.

However, for planning apps, you need to have a valid reason, based on planning law, to object. Prepare your objections, keep an eye on planning lists and when it comes up, put your objection in. You can also speak to your local Councillor and MP. Talking to other residents might enable you to form a more organised group, which may carry more weight.

Unsync
All I know is that it was just an empty field since the Estate was done in the 70's and now they decided to use it, which is good, but I don't think that anyone would like to have a car park for 50 cars literally at the fence with your garden.
My neighbor already sent all concerns to the local council PM and everyone involved.

i agree, be careful what you wish for

Me and my neighbors, all wants is to move the car park and the new road somewhere else