Help house for sale now neighbours want to do "work"

[twirliedobbit]

We have had our house for sale since October and our neighbours expressed concerns cause they didn't want us to move as we are such good neighbours! (read never in!!)
Anyway we have a couple of interested parties but the neighbours have now sprung on us that they are going to start work on their house.
This is not just any work.
We currently have our kitchen windows facing each other each with a set of steps down the side to our gardens and the garden wall separating each set of steps. They want to extend their kitchen sideways out to the party wall meaning that our kitchen window will look out onto our steps and then a brick wall. We also have a window in our living room which will now have most of the light blocked by this extension.
I am so angry as they know we are trying to sell our house and it feels like they are forcing us to stay. Even if we can block their works our relationship is going to suffer and we are going to have to state all this to prospective buyers, can't imagine who would want to move into this mess.
Arrrggghhhhhhhh .
Anyone have any legal or just helpful advice????

Keep it professional - talk to the planning officers at council to find out what they are likely to be able do. If you can complain then do so, but other than that there isn't much you can do.

Our neighbours put up a stupid raised and instrusive patio, with a 3ft fence which allowed them to look straight into our garden. We spent £500 on plants to block their view, including a Holm Oak (mmmm - night have gone over the top).

I bet you are really good neighbours but are you sure they're building an extension so that you can't sell your house because that would be a bit Misery, no? Is your pair of houses unique or are there similar houses on the street and have other people done the same sort of extension? If no one else has done it, maybe there's a good chance they won't get permission. If other people have done it, can you look at their extensions and see if there is a way of mitigating the impact on your house?

Talk to them about it, don't make it personal, just say that you are worried about x,y and z features and can you have a chat to see if there are any design solutions.

You might mention that the building work is making it difficult to sell the house so you are thinking of renting it out, and that it would suit a family with lots of noisy children.

Check they would even get planning for that before you take any further action.

Firstly you are over thinking this. There is no way that they are spending serious amounts of money on an extension, just so you don't move. You may be lovely neighbours, but honestly, you aren't THAT great.

Secondly, if I was buying a house, the neighbours getting a extension wouldn't put me off at all, and in fact it may even go in its favour as it would mean a precedent had been set and it would be easier for us to do the same in the future should we wish to.

Ha ha sorry all, should made a tongue in cheek smilie after the comment about being such good neighbours. I wouldn't ordinarily worry about an extension on the back of the house it's just that this is sideways meaning that where our current kitchen windows face each other (with a gap of around 10') they want to go sideways meaning a gap of 5' and our window looking onto a brick wall.
Will def check out the planning permissions, just don't know how to do this...do they need to apply so that we can block or are they able to extend without planning permission??

If they are extending into the side return (the strip that runs down the side of a back addition in period houses) it will probably come under permitted development but they will need party wall award if they build up to the boundary. I really do think it is best to talk to them now about it but I would also say that tons of house in my neighbourhood have had this sort of extension done and i doesn't seem to cause a lot of problems.