neighbour giving grief

SUESMITH_2

i really feel for you, we all have long back gardens so are not overlooked at all, or rather we weren't until the people at the back put on a HUGE dorma on a loft extension they were building. it directly looks into my daughters bedroom and into our garden room, we have lost so much privacy, we checked and they didnt have planning for that, they had lapsed planning for a side extension which they didnt build but have just built something totally differant, oh contacted the council and got the reply that it didnt matter about the loft and although planning wasnt observed with what they had built it didnt really matter too much cos it looked ok

i ask you

guppy

I wouldn't mention it to the neighbour...I'd make an anonymous call to the planning enforcement people at the council.

No point in souring relations with your neighbour. If it conforms to the planning rules it won't affect him (though won't solve your problem), if the council take action, hopefully that will solve your problem

planning_officer

pinkshoes wrote: »

Try reading HERE

(it keeps coming up all funny when I try to paste the text in the forum!)

The info on that link is wrong - they haven't updated it since PD rights changed on 1 Oct 2008!

This cabin is raised off the ground, so for that reason alone it requires planning permission (irrespective of its height, distance to the boundary etc). Permitted development for outbuildings does not allow any raised terrace, verandah or raised platform.

You say you've already contacted the planning dept, but you will have to put it in writing, otherwise they won't investigate it (but your details will be confidential and won't be released, even if someone submits a Freedom of Information request they still won't be released as there are various exceptions to releasing confidential information). And to the poster above - anonymous calls probably won't be investigated!

hamblettamaud

the easiest thing to do is phone the planning office, tell them the situation and get them to investigate. one way or another you should have an answer. guppy above already said this.

if it turns out your neighbours don't need permission then move house. i know this sound glib but it's what i would do.

planning_officer

hamblettamaud wrote: »

the easiest thing to do is phone the planning office, tell them the situation and get them to investigate. one way or another you should have an answer. guppy above already said this.

He's already done that - they have said they need it in writing.

hamblettamaud wrote: »

if it turns out your neighbours don't need permission then move house.

Yes they do need permission - see my post above!

Fire_Fox

Definitely contact Environmental Health about the noise - they tend to be pretty good.

janbabe

Many thanks - you lot are great on here. Just makes me feel better talking about it to you lot!

I did think he was breaking the law by having a raised platform, which is about 28 inches high and on which the cabin sits. They also have a balcony/veranda at the front of the cabin ontop the raised platform, and I guess its just over a metre from the fence. But nice to get it confirmed by some one else.

Will have to put it in writing to the planning cos they dont' take words over the phone!

Also worried if he has to take it down (must have cost him around £2000 to build) he def aint' gonna be a happy bunny!! But don't see why we should have to put up with it if its wrong!

All we want is a quiet life and to get on with the neighbours - why do some just not seem to care what they do to others,

sunshinetours

I would still try and speak to him personally. I reckon so many neighbour disputes could be resolved if people still spoke to each other rather than filed an anonymous online complaint.

At least you can say you have tried if you do that before contacting the council.

All he may end up doing is moving it back a metre or so and lowering the verandah presumably which mean you still have a cabin and an irate neighbour who can still see over the fence? Definitely speak to him about music and noise if its unreasonable though

Whilst the loss of privacy is undoubtedly annoying you state you live on a hill so you always have the risk of someone overlooking you. That as far as I am aware is not a planning issue

Can you post a picture showing it?

janbabe

we dont' actually live on a hill - our back gardens slope upwards (so kinda of hill I guess) but he lives next door not above us. He cant move the cabin back anymore as its at the back of the garden (His garden is not very long - ours is bigger) and he can't just dismantle it and put it back up cos if you could see it - it is really well built with proper logs and insulation and proper wood flooring, with leather sofas and flat screen tv & stereo!
Wouldn't be so bad if he actually went in and shut the doors to listen to his music but he just opens the doors wide and turns it on!!

I should imagine as its so well built it would be hell to try and dismantle it as its been built to never come down by looking at it!!!!!

Wish we had said something when the thing went up earlier in the year but we thought we won't go flying around and complain lets see what happens - but now last few months he's up there with friends with music on and its getting a bit wearing now - especially since we bought a small patio set to go on our bit of decking, which is at ground level and doesn't overlook anything except our own garden - he seems to hate it if sees us out there (which of course he can now). He also has a pond just outside his house which he got a fountain fitted last year and it was like 'rivers of babylon' so we did ask him if he could keep it off at night which he did. Now all of a sudden the last week he has taken to keeping the fountain on at nights and turning his music up when ever he sees us go into the garden! I am so baffled.
Anyway I wll have to try and see him later and have a word, at least bout the music as there is nothing he can do about the cabin lest take it down and I can assure you he wont' do that without a fight!!!!!!!!!!

dfh

Are you sure his mental health is all right.Some of his symptoms could be due to an episode of mania.