Vet next door

[Newgate]

Just received planning permission notice that the owner of the house next door, terrace, wants to convert the house to a vet practice.

Am I right to be worried? We have a GP on the terrace but this feels wrong. I am worried about noise and smells. Could it have an impact on value? Would people want to buy a house attached to a vet? I have a call with the planning officer. Please help.

It would massively put me off buying. I’d be worried about barking. I’ve had barking dogs next door-it’s awful!

Our local vet is in a converted Georgian house, on a corner in a residential area.
Parking is hellish. People sometimes double parking or abandoning cars in their panic. Staff parking would be an issue too.
I don’t know about noise or smells, but the area of pavement in front of the vets is plastered with dog shit all the time. Sometimes watery shit that no one can pick up. It stinks in summer. Dog wee everywhere which isn’t so bad, but makes it difficult to walk along the pavement without stepping in wee or crap.
I really wouldn’t want to be next door to it.

a nice bit of parvo or giardia shit to tread through.

Parking would be my worry.

I worked at a vets for years. I also lived above one for a time. The dogs do bark and howl. It often kept me awake all night so it could be a big issue. If they were planning on doing out of hour work you will have people coming and going at all hours and parking may be an issue for clients and staff. I’d really be wary of this to be honest

I’d be worried about parking , people will come and use the on street parking. I think that would be the main point for objection that turning a residential building into a business with no parking will cause all sorts of problems.

I’d also be worried about any dogs left overnight if they’re barking….but if it’s a small vets maybe they won’t have animals overnight.

It’s difficult not to have pets overnight with a small animal practice (as it is with an equine one). However I assume they would be in the garden. I do see residential houses used for kennels but I really would object on parking grounds. There is no reason why a vet cannot find suitable premises in a business area. The council tax will be business wherever they go. I know two vets in former pubs! Car parks and gardens already there!

Check the councils policy on where business zones are. Usually near public car parks!

I would definitely check out how this might affect your future chances of getting a new mortgage.

I think it can be hard if you’re beside a commercial property. This could have a serious impact if you were selling too.

On top of this parking and noise would definitely need to be considered.

It won’t make any difference to a mortgage. There are streets that are residential and commercial mixed. Some very desirable streets where I live! However for a street with no commercial, it should be kept that way. You cannot possibly argue mortgage issues when objecting to this application. It’s not relevant.

@TizerorFizz I always thought it could be harder to get a mortgage if you are next to or above a commercial property? Also that the commercial property you are beside is graded from high risk to low and that affects who will lend?

Obviously it’s good for OP if that’s wrong though

I thought that something like the reduction in value of your house might be a reason to object but having had a google I don’t think that can actually be taken into account, so you’re right and the mortgage thing wouldn’t really have any impact on an objection anyway.

Parking is probably the main issue and I would have thought neighbours would share the same concerns.

No. You cannot object on any perceived diminution in value. Objections must be on planning reasons only. So parking is the obvious one and suitability on a residential street.

Where I live, when the vets was in a Georgian house, and I can assure there was no reduction in value of the neighbouring houses. Still very desirable. I would object to a residential house becoming a vets premises but not on the grounds that you think it diminishes the value of your house. It will be ignored.

A decent property remains that with a vet next door. A flat above commercial premises is already in a commercial area so that’s different and probably will be cheaper to buy. We have houses in our local town that are adjacent to a dentist. Some are adjacent to a garage. Some adjacent to a pub! No mortgage issues I believe. Still desirable properties.

@TizerorFizz it absolutely does affect mortgages

Quick google confirms

@YoungGiftedPlump

parking is the issue- all pets come by vehicle

My vets in on quite a busy main road but by a bus stop. I see many people get off the bus woth their pets but myself and all the pet owners I know who use it simply walk there so that's not true at all.

The set up you describe is probably a sub branch and likely does not have any over nights at all. If it does then there will be a vet nurse on attendance. Vet surgeries are clean by necessity and unlikely to smell and calm/quiet. A stressed animal would likely be sedated rather than left to worry and bark. Parking will be something planning department will consider anyway but a small practice won't have many staff and only one patient at a time

Being next to a vet won’t affect a mortgage. Google isn’t always right.

It will plummet the value of your property tbh.

Nobody wants to buy next to a premises which is going to be busy, have strangers coming and going, and increased parking on the road (and/or blocking driveways).

Vets aside, I'd be concerned that allowing one property in a residential street to be used for commercial purposes would set a precedent and open the door for other applications.

OP has said there's already a GP surgery in the same terrace.

Where do their patients park, @Newgate?

I'd be worried about cars parked all over the place and blocking my driveway. Vets are very busy these days - declining numbers of vets and growing list sizes. Its bedlam at my vets (own large car park which is nevertheless always full and double parked)

As many of the properties around where our vets used to be were highly desirable, it made absolutely no difference. Since then an Indian Restaurant opened. Thd properties are now £1 plus nearby and a few would be more. My former neighbour lives opposite. No one stops buying nearby. It’s still a popular road.

Don’t know for sure. Guessing that as we are in London they probably walk