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Original poster

Best ways to object to neighbours planning permission???

30 replies

minko · 17/10/2007 12:09

The house 2 doors down has been bought by a bloke who has subsequently turned it into a shared house. There are about 5 or 6 tennants living there in 5 rooms. He has asked for planning permission to turn this into 10 rooms.

The thing is this is, or was a nice suburban street with young families and older couples, now this is really bringing the road down. All his tennants are immigrants, Polish, Iranian etc. and change so regularly we don't know who's living there. The police have been seen chatting to the tennants on a few occassions too. And they also have LOTS or cars. The property has no parking so they are always parked outside other people's houses.

So, what can we do to object??? Anyone ever succeeded in getting plans changed?

OP posts:
Saturn74 · 17/10/2007 12:14

Am biting my tongue re "now this is really bringing the road down".

You could always get to know your new neighbours, by going over and introducing yourself.

It's hardly their fault that the landlord is shoe-horning them into a property designed for far fewer people is it?

Actually, didn't bite my tongue at all, did I?

But you can oppose planning permission by contacting the council.

A planning permission request should be posted where everyone can see it.

Ask the landlord where it is.

Katymac · 17/10/2007 12:16

Parking is probably your only option for appeal

Too many people in the property is not valid really

colditz · 17/10/2007 12:16

Chill out Hyacynth, you don't NEED to know your neighbours, and how do you know the police weren't there because one of them got mugged?

Bad Things Happen To Foreign People Too!

Saturn74 · 17/10/2007 12:17

ROFL @ "Chill out Hyacynth"

zippitippitoes · 17/10/2007 12:19

lol at parking outside other peoples houses...anyone can park on the street wherever they like hun

Original poster
minko · 17/10/2007 12:20

Yeah, yeah easy enough for all you PCers out there, but it's not happening to your street is it. A ten room squat next door ain't nice.
My beef isn't with the tennants anyway, it's the greedy landlord.

OP posts:
fishie · 17/10/2007 12:21

make your mind up, squat or evil landlord..?

zippitippitoes · 17/10/2007 12:22

the answer is your local planning office and you can lobject on planning issues only bringing down the street isn't one

Saturn74 · 17/10/2007 12:22

Ah, but your OP sounded very much like your "beef" was with the tenants frankly.

Katymac · 17/10/2007 12:24

But the number of cars/individuals is a planning issue

All property now has to have off street parking for each bedroom (minus 1) so a 3 bed house need 2, & a 4 bed needs 3

So without any off street parking you could asking for them to provide it, but it will be a difficult fight

mistlethrush · 17/10/2007 12:25

You can probably even object on-line if you know what the planning application reference number is - a site notice should be stuck up, visible from the public highway, giving details (usually lamppost or similar).

Suggest that you object on the grounds of lack of parking - and you can support this with evidence of the problems caused currently. Also find out whether the number of people currently occupying the house is allowed - it will be classed as a HMO (House in Multiple Occupation) passed a certain level and its likely to need consent of some sort.

colditz · 17/10/2007 12:26

I'd love a house full of immigrants on my street as it might dislodge some of the drug addicts, and immigrants are statistically hard working, honest and friendly.

Still, if you want more people like you then 2 out of three ain't bad

claricebeansmum · 17/10/2007 12:28

The owner of the house will have to apply for the house to become "a house of multiple occupation". It would be worth checking what parking provisions - if any - need to be taken into account.

ajandjjmum · 17/10/2007 12:30

Photos of cars blocking the road would help your case. You need to object on factual not emotional reasons.

I can understand your concerns.

zippitippitoes · 17/10/2007 12:30

properties don't have to have off street parking..in fact in some areas provision of parking is frowned upon because iut encourages car use...

zippitippitoes · 17/10/2007 12:33

that should be it is not necessarily true that properties have to have off street parking...maybe they do in some places

Original poster
minko · 17/10/2007 13:00

Oh yeah, something I forgot to mention. The landlord claims that once the work is doen he and his family are moving in. Which means he won't be applying for the house to be a HMO, with it's subsequent parking restrictions.

Myself and the neighbours are sure that this isn't the case though as he owns property all over the town and lives in a big house a mile or so away. We can't prove it though.

Anyway, thank you for your helpful comments and for those that were less useful... go find something more constructive to do...

OP posts:
Saturn74 · 17/10/2007 13:01

"constructive"
very good!

Original poster
minko · 17/10/2007 13:04

You know who you are then.

OP posts:
stripeymama · 17/10/2007 13:06

But if its the landlord and his family moving in rather than it becoming an HMO then surely that will mean less cars?

Original poster
minko · 17/10/2007 13:08

But he's not moving in - that's the point. He's just saying that to get the planning sorted.

OP posts:
bosch · 17/10/2007 13:08

Minko - planning permission isn't generally required for up to 6 people to live 'as a family' in a house - ie shared living/bath etc. Any more than that and planning is generally required. So if he applies to extend the house and then gets more people living there, it would be a HIMO or similar and planning permission would be required. Then you object on grounds of out of character with area, parking etc.

(None of the above means that 7 people who are actually related can't live in a house! So if he has a big family, he can apply to extend and then move in!)

Saturn74 · 17/10/2007 13:13

Minko, was your comment
"You know who you are then"
addressed to me?

If so, that seems to be quite an unnecessarily chippy response.

As far as I can see, I have posted helpfully.

Apart from commenting on what I found to be your rather unpleasant remarks about the tenants in the OP.

NAB3 · 17/10/2007 13:21

I wouldn't bother. Someone built a loft extension without any kind of permission. Applied retrospectively, we objected as it completely overlooks our garden and looks bloody awful, but it was approved.

Katsma · 17/10/2007 23:34

We've successfully objected to a planning permission request. Our council lists them all on-line, complete with plans and dates by which to comment (complain!) and when the case will be decided.

We went through the other cases that had already been refused, read up on the reasons why, and stressed these in our objection.

One of these reasons was 'loss of amenity', for which we cited the increased traffic load on an already busy small street. (There was adequate off-road parking for the proposed new tenants btw)

If you can find a previous similar application that has been refused, cite that. They'd be hardpushed to justify an approval in your case then.