PV install - upset neighbours

Martyn1981

EricMears wrote: »

I'd tend to agree with that statement - and so indeed do the NE Derbyshire planners.

However, if you live in Prestwich, the (national !) law on planning seems to be interpreted differently.

Are you the only person on this forum not following the Prestwich case ?

I believe it was he, that introduced the issue to this thread!

However, that aside, what will now be interesting to see, is if the council will take any further action. Since PV is normally permitted development, and there have been no objections to the planning application. There have however, been 6 letters of support.

Mart.

Cardew

EricMears wrote: »

Are you the only person on this forum not following the Prestwich case ?

Are you the only person who hasn't realised that I raised the Prestwich case in this thread and gave the link to the article - see post #9 -. However that was on the subject of painting.

As far as I understand it, the Prestwich case is nothing to do with Planning. If planning permission was not required for the panels, then they can hardly invoke planning regulations.

It seems to me that the council(rightly or wrongly) have decided that the complaints of residents are justified and they have the power to have them removed. - presumably on their interpretation of some bye-law

EricMears

Cardew wrote: »

Are you the only person who hasn't realised that I raised the Prestwich case in this thread and gave the link to the article - see post #9 -. However that was on the subject of painting.

As far as I understand it, the Prestwich case is nothing to do with Planning. If planning permission was not required for the panels, then they can hardly invoke planning regulations.

It seems to me that the council(rightly or wrongly) have decided that the complaints of residents are justified and they have the power to have them removed. - presumably on their interpretation of some bye-law

All very well posting links, but it's better if you read them first ! Mr and Mrs Robinson received their letters from the local council's planning department and are currently engaged in a planning appeal. No reference has been made to a local byelaw - nor indeed is it very likely that one would have been made if its effect would be to override national planning law.

Martyn1981

Cardew wrote: »

Are you the only person who hasn't realised that I raised the Prestwich case in this thread and gave the link to the article - see post #9 -. However that was on the subject of painting.

I think you may be getting your 'tangents' confused.

Painting didn't come up in your first tangent - Prestwich, nor your second, conservation areas. It did however come up in tangent 3, when you 'suspected' that a council would take action against a property owner if a neighbour complained about their chosen colour scheme.

Hope that has cleared up any confusion.

Also, regarding Prestwich, you keep referring to complaints and residents in the plural, whereas the Daily Mail reported a complaint (singular). And the planning app. has attracted none.

(Planning app link deleted, just in case of privacy issues)

Mart.

grahamc2003

EricMears wrote: »

There are many reasons why one might want to oppose the building of a nuclear power station but I'm afraid "spoiling their view or their enjoyment of their house" don't appear to be material considerations.


From
http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/gen...aqapplyprocess

But the thrust of this thread and many on it appears to be that they should decide in which circumstances someone else should be allowed to complain.

If I don't like something, I'd judge for myself whether to raise a complaint or not. I'd like to tell everyone who objects to a Nuclear powerstation to get off their bum and get a job (great argument eh!) - but then again I wouldn't because I respect their right to complain or raise issues as they see fit, and then let the issue be resolved via a democratic process. I tried pointing out the incredible irony in most peoples' views on here - it's likely they would be up in arms should a coal fired power station be planned in their neighbourhood, and they would likely be the most vociferous complainers (rightly or wrongly).

LisaW123

And how exactly is this affecting your neighbours? You don't need to sell this idea to them. It is none of their business.

EricMears

grahamc2003 wrote: »

But the thrust of this thread and many on it appears to be that they should decide in which circumstances someone else should be allowed to complain.

You can of course complain to anyone you want about any subject.

However, if you want to make a valid planning objection you have to abide by the rules outlined at http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/general/faq/faqapplyprocess#Whatarematerialconsiderations

Cardew

Blossom2528 wrote: »

As usual there seems to be a couple of people desperately trying to argue this situation upside down, and back to front.
Yes you could argue that a good neighbour takes the concerns of their neighbours seriously and changes what they are going to do. But the situation good be entirely avoided by better neighbours who don't complain in the first place IF the issue is trivial.
Why would anyone complain or create bad blood just because somebody else's roof is going to change slightly, or because they wrongly associate PV with council houses.

Complain all you like about major projects like nuclear power stations IF it will have a big effect on you. But get a life, if you'd spoil a friendship over the look and colour scheme of a roof.

All we are pointing out is that some people don't like their appearance and consider they 'lower the tone' of the area.

The Government's Planning Portal http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/permission/commonprojects/solarpanels/ states that they are normally a permitted development, however:

Panels on a building should be sited, so far as is practicable, to minimise the effect on the external appearance of the building and the amenity of the area.
When no longer needed for microgeneration panels should be removed as soon as reasonably practicable.

That statement and the fact that they are generally not allowed in a conservation area if visible from the road, is surely recognition that they appreciate that some people dislike their appearance.

However in this thread the OP's neighbours have made their feelings known and it really doesn't matter if you or I feel their complaints are justified or not; the OP has to decide if the probability of upsetting them is worth the hassle.

As far as we have been informed, the question of a formal complaint in order to prevent their installation(or get them removed) hasn't been raised; and would stand little chance of success.

davidanddeirdre

spinybif wrote: »

Have just placed an order for 4KW solar panel install, has to go on front of house as south facing ( roof is perfect aspect). Neighbours in the close are upset - solar panels go on council houses !!, generally we get on really well, what would you do.

As a society, we seem to be drifting into a situation where nimbyism in terms of the purely visual is becoming quite the norm. I think we should concentrate more on objecting to developments which really do more harm than good than those which simply represent a change (such as solar panels). There are developments in the pipeline, such as the reindustrialisation of Britain, (essential if we are not to go broke in the long run), which will otherwise either not happen or at best will cause serious bitterness when entrepreneurs want to create plethoras of new factories.

Cardew

This is what the OP posted:

Originally Posted by spinybif


Have just placed an order for 4KW solar panel
install, has to go on front of house as south facing ( roof is perfect aspect).
Neighbours in the close are upset - solar panels go on council houses !!,
generally we get on really well, what would you do.

The neighbours don't like them - OK?

No good pointing out that they should like them/good neighbours wouldn't complain/nobody can object to a change of texture etc etc

The OP is apprehensive about the reaction of the neighbours - OK?

The reason for bringing up conservation areas, and indeed the Planning Portal, is to make the point that the Government anticipated that some people would not like their appearance - and they were correct. Yet according to some on this thread, that couldn't possibly be the case!