Extension without planning permission

[bonfireheart]

My neighbours made a planning application for an extension which was refused by the City Council. The documents are all on the council website and reasons why. Thr neighbours are still continuing with the extension. Is this legal? Will the council care?
I'm not fussed whether they have an extension or not, but am getting fed up with them dumping huge bricks and huge cements bags and all sorts at the end of the of my driveway so I can't even get my car out. Yesterday they blocked me in with a car and a van! They have a double driveway of their own and rather than park on it they've taken all the soil from the garden and made a huge six foot high pile of it. Rather than get a skip. I'm also concerned that anyone with no concern for planning permission won't be following any other regulations when it comes to H&S, drainage, and respecting the boundaries of mine and other neighbours. What can I do?

If they don't have permission then it is probably illegal. I would report to the planning authority and let them deal with it.

They may have amended designs to fall within permitted development or hope to get retrospective permission. They still need Buildings Regulations approval. Councils are variable about enforcement, why was it refused? Have you asked them to stop workmen blocking your drive with materials and trucks!

You can report it and the Council will visit. Then order them to stop work if what they are doing would require planning. Permitted development is a thing - are they perhaps building a much smaller extension than the one which was refused through planning?

Seems a bit odd that they applied in the first place, it's more common not to bother at all, build the structure and then just ignore the fact you don't have permission for it.

Should have also said they've dumped so much stuff on the foot path, no push chair or wheelchair can get past, you have to walk single file to squeeze through.

They won't have had any time between the official refusal to submit updated plans. And as a neighbour the Council have bern sending me email updates.

The homeowners have recently bought the property and are never here. The builders don't speak English but I do tell them to move each time and they just say "one minute" and stay there. I am a single mum with a teeange daughter and there's builders at the back of the house, front of the house, using our shared entrance, so I am not too keen on getting into a row with them and just hope they'll listen.

Just report it to council. They probably won't work safely or within normal hours either.

Report, council's do take action. I had illegal development across the road shut down, property ended up being sold at auction by a reputable developer

If it's permitted development they won't have submitted anything to the planning department, and the Council won't notify you.

I would report it to the planning enforcement team who can come and check whether it falls under permitted development. If it does, it doesn't need planning permission, but as others have said will still require Building Regulations approval.

They should not be blocking either the pavement or road with anything without a licence. Report that to the Council Highways department.

If they are obstructing the pavement then you can report it as flytipping. A house near us dumped a load of wood with nails in on the pavement and after a few days of being there I reported it and the council were round very quickly, same day, and got it moved.

The Council had the authority to order it to be pulled down if it doesn't have permission. It's very risky to do an extension without permission. They'll struggle to sell the property without a building certificate for the work - and that will affect the value of it. I would report it to the Council now. You'll probably be doing them a favour, as they not realise the consequences of not having permission

My neighbours have about 5 retrospective planning permissions granted. They just kept extending their house and asking for a retrospective and got away with it. I'd report to the council now tbh.

Report it as soon as you can. Some councils won't make people demolish if they haven't got PP (which they certainly ought to if it is done in defiance of a refusal) , but even they may stop building if it's in progress. If the council refused, I can't how it could be 'permitted development'.

If the neighbours have reduced the size of the extension from that which was refused PP, it could easily meet the requirements of permitted development.

If the work is reported to the Council, the enforcement team will come out and check the dimensions to see if PP is still required, or whether the extension constitutes permitted development.