Side return extension when neighbour has a side bay window

[LitCrit]

Hello- very grateful for any help. We're considering buying an end of terrace and building a one story side return extension, preferably with a standard, rather than glass, roof. The neighbour (one of a pair of semi-detached) has a bay window at the side of their house. About a third of it looks directly onto the side wall of 'our' house, and the rest would look onto a new higher boundary wall, around 1.75m from the window, if we built the extension. It must already be pretty dark because there is an existing 6 ft boundary fence on the side return section.

Does anyone have similar experience or professional knowledge. Planning is sooo slow in our area and you have to pay £££ (and still wait!) for pre-planning advice!

Finally - has anyone built a 'courtyard' extension to get around a problem like this - ie building into the side return beyond the window, leaving a courtyard space - but extending a bit further to make up the shortfall?

No that dotted line is the outline of a possible side return.

I'd talk to the neighbour before buying. Because there is a fair chance you'll really annoy them by doing any extension and do you want to walk into all that stress?

Do the neighbours not have a window on the end wall LitCrit?

The courtyard idea is interesting but if you went boundary to boundary you would cut off outside access to the rest of your garden and anything you needed to move from back to front (things like lawn mower, bike's, garden toys) would have to come through the house. Also, I'd imagine it would be more difficult to get planning permission for this type of extension. Unless there is already precedent in the area?

All those houses in my row of terraces have a kitchen bay window exactly like your diagram, except where they’ve done the side return extension. We’ve had planning permission granted for ours. Next door is a mirror image and they haven’t extended so they’ll be looking at our new wall. I don’t think it was even a factor in planning because most of the street has already extended and looking at a wall versus a fence doesn’t really make any difference.

@Waspie They only have a back door I think - no glazing oddly. Luckily there is precedent for courtyards in the road. We don't have a side passageway alas, we're end of terrace but no side access,so everything from the garden will have to come through the house! There would be access to the far garden from the back of the courtyard extension
@LakeShoreD That's encouraging, thanks!
@Rollercoaster1920 they're tenants and I think it's HA.

I wouldn’t do the courtyard option, you end up with an odd shaped layout and smaller garden. I think you’ll be fine with a side return - as Lake says this is very normal.

I guess it depends what you want to use the extension for. If it's just to give you a better shaped, more usable, kitchen then the side return extension is best. If you want a larger "family" space then the courtyard option sounds nice. I'd imagine the courtyard option to be far more expensive though. I'm a sucker for a courtyard though - we have one and it's my favourite part of the house

Ah, my bad. I assumed you had right of way access from the neighbour's side passageway to your back garden. It's unusual to find an old house without direct access to the garden as there would, when the houses were built, have been a need to deliver coal.

Would adding a glass insert into the roof and upper wall of your extension opposite their window be an option? It would protect their access to light but would not infringe on your privacy.

Oooh that;s nice @Choux. Looks insanely expensive but .. hmm.
@Waspie this sounds v odd but for a while it will be a bedroom so in fact it would make more sense than the usual bigger better kitchen.
Thanks evveryone, so helpful!

We are the ones with a bay window and neighbours who did a side extension. Slightly different circumstances as our kitchen also has another window facing the same side return and also has double glass doors on the wall facing the garden.
Yes, the neighbour's side extension has probably taken some of our light. However, where we previously looked out on a standard fence panel, we now look out on a nicely rendered and painted white wall - which does reflect more light.
Also, we agreed to a party wall. So part of the wall is on our land. But it means if we want to do an extension we can use that wall.
So maybe check with the neighbours and see if they consider a side extension in the future or speak to them about options for the wall.

If they are HA tenants, you need to discuss with the HA as it’s their property

Have you checked local planning to see if the current or previous owners have already tried to get planning permission for something similar? It’s a long shot but if they have already been rejected at least you’d know and that might help your decision

All very good points - thanks everyone.