Any planning experts here? Advice on objecting please.

[missbopeep]

Neighbour's house has sold and general opinion is that new owners may try to change a single storey extension ( bit like a conservatory) into a 2 storey extension. It's not CERTAIN by any means but we want to be prepared.

This would severely affect our access to light because our house is at a lower level, and the extension would be at right angles to our lounge and patio doors/main window.

We have lived here for 17 years and the house is over 25 years old- I have read that with properties of over 20 years old the right to light applies.

But is this subjective?

I'm not optimistic over this because planning allowed a house 2 doors long to be converted from a bungalow into a house-blocking light from a neighbour.

Anyone got any suggestions on how we best object?

Are you detached? How much space is there between the properties? I think you are going to struggle to be honest, but I'm not an expert by any means. We recently applied for planning permission, wanted a double storey extension only half way along the side of the house and single storey for the remainder. Council refused it twice, until we agreed to make the whole of it double storey.

Where I live you can make an appt and go along and discuss the issue with a planning person and they will fill you in on rules.

You need your facts right to object as that is what the planners will look at, the planning laws and whether it is broken or not rather than what you might think is reasonable or acceptable.

Have a look online there will be info there on the rules.

we are detached but there is only a tiny gap- and the neighbour's house actually has right of way over our land on the side of our house to access the rear of their house. There's a small alleyway of about 3 feet wide which is ours- but they have ROW. Their house is an old semi and ours is a modern detached. The house on the other side of us projects beyond our house, ( neighbour on our other side) so if this other house was extended to 2 storeys we would be blocked in. Our lounge and study are at the rear and our kitchen's at the front, so we'd be losing light from our main living area.