AIBU - Neighbour building balcony

[Gingerbelle]

Our neighbour behind us is building flats which we have no problem with as there are already similar flats. The building has been going on for almost 2 years and is still not finished (although hopefully soon). What I do have an issue with is that they have built a small balcony, and only today ripped out one of the windows and made a hole quite clearly to install a door to the balcony. The tenants will be able to oversee our garden and conservatory very easily!!!

I've checked the local council's website to see what plans were submitted and approved and there is nothing in the drawings that show a balcony and door, plus the conditions of approval quite clearly state the flat facing us will not have any external amenity space. To me they have breached the planning approval.

AIBU to want to dob them in to the council? Our garden is very small and I feel like this balcony will invade our privacy.

Definitely report it.

Yep I'd challenge this now so that it's not the owner but the developer you are negotiating with.

Report. The sooner the better. Cheeky feckers.

Councils are always extremely careful to prevent overlooking, we even got a condition in ours to prevent us adding upstairs side windows to our new extension in future even though we didn't plan to. This is to prevent overlooking (of the shared drive and next doors bins in the side return...)

So in your case it's definitely unacceptable

Thanks all for your comments. I hate confrontation so hopefully I can avoid speaking to the neighbour and just let the council deal with it. What confuses me is that they've ripped out a brand new (compliant) window only to then go against the approved plans and try and put a door in. Not the first time they've done something to then pull it down and do something different...

Take photos to send the council - thin end of the wedge this kind of thing.

I wonder if they have had the windows approved and that part of the building signed off in the hope that when the next part of the inspection is done they hope to get away with it... report!

Just for the record, there's no such thing as sign off for planning permission, and enforcement is possible from several years after the development work is substantially complete.

Yes, I'd report them ASAP.

Report it