House sale - awful house opposite holding us back. Long

[Jbck]

Didn't know where else to post this but would be grateful for any advice. Our house has been on the market for some time now (I'm talking months not weeks) & the biggest thing that seems to be putting people off is the view from my kitchen window. My neighbours across the street have 5 cars, 2 of them don't work. None are nice & shiny (IYKWIM). They have dug up their front lawn to park the 2 which don't work & aren't taxed etc upon. They are currently building an unknown structure in the back garden for which their planning permission hasn't yet been granted so every week it's either a skip or a load of bricks, cement mixer, mini-digger that's in the drive. this has been going on for months and I don't know what to do. By far the biggest reason for not following through on our house has been people didn't want to look out their house at this. My kitchen faces the front, but as Mums know you spend a hell of a lot of time in your kitchen once you have kids. My lounge is lovely & peaceful, looking over my garden which I am really grateful for but it's no consolation.
My reason for posting is suggestions on what to do. I'm in Scotland so laws & local authority legislation may be different but I'd be grateful for any suggestions. Another householder nearby recently approached them as his house wasn't selling either apparently for the same reason but it seems to have made no difference to them.
I am in a lovely 4 bed detached house so people coming obviously expect a certain standard and they're not getting it. There is a playpark to the side of us but it genuinely doesn't seem to have put people off to the same extent, indeed some people with children thought it was great as they could pop them in there & know where they were but the eyesore across the way put them off.
We really need to move for schools, childcare reasons and it is nothing to do with these people, who are very pleasant but I just don't think they see what others do, or if they do pay no heed.
Any suggestions greatfully accepted as I'm getting really depressed over this as time marches on.

put a net curtain on your kitchen window?

the only thing that you can do really, is either, complain to your local authourity, or if anyone glances across the road at the offending house, you could just say, "oh they are in the middle of having work done", i do nt know how to get roundthe cars though without complaining, wghich you then have to declare.

jbck - that sounds awful. Have you heard of a company called Brume? (www.brume.co.uk) they do a really fantastic range of window films (not as hideous as that sounds) that still let all the light in but would stop anyone having the view of the eyesore. I do think if you screen this view off from the inside of the house people are more likely to forget about it once they're through the front door. The other suggestion could putting in a privet hedge in the front garden to screen you off a bit. Good luck - what an irritating situation!

Thanks folks. We've got a venetian blind up in the kitchen but I don't think it makes enough of a difference. It's not as if you can avoid passing it or looking at it when you go out into the drive.
It's assisted viewings where the estate agent shows people round & he's tried the having work done bit but I think it's the cars & the dug up lawn that put people off more than the other bits & bobs. I'm just basing that on what I'd think. In fact, people doing work on their house generally makes others thingk it must be nice that folk want to stay & improve what they've got but in this case it's a bit different.
I should maybe point out that there are only 2 people of driving age in the house. Plus not all of the cars fit on the drive/garden area so there's always at least one parked half on the pavement.
I'd be really embarrassed approaching them, like another neighbour, as they are very nice but it's really stressing me out.

I feel for you but we have the experience of bieng "that house" that you describe.
My neighbours are on the market and my dh is building a garage at the bottom of the garden therefore the garden is a mess with bricks etc strewn every where. It really is a mess.
My neighbour has approached me about it and has expressed the opinion that it disturbs her and that she thinks that she wont sell.
I absolutely acknowledge this and appologised unreservedly and reassured her that we shall be completing asap.
Im not sure about what else to do TBH, it takes time and money but still she is (understandably) upset.

Donbean, thanks I appreciate your post but as I've said I don't think the building work is really the mani problem - it's the cars.
Plus as I've said so much of the building work has been done but their planning permission was rejected as their original plans didn't meet certain regs but they seem to have carried on regardless. If they don't get it granted eventually what'll happen then to all the stuff they've done. TBH the building work wouldn't cause us any problem & we didn't object to the plans. Everyone realises these things take time but it's been ongoing since about May last year, it must be their first skip's birthday soon . They're not building bloomin' Buck House!