How did the council get away with this?

mutley74

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/greenpolitics/planning/11090584/Couples-detached-250000-home-almost-turned-into-a-semi-by-neighbours-huge-extension.html

I_have_spoken

Corruption, racism, nepotism.

davidmcn

Hmm. If you want to guarantee a large gap between you and your neighbours, you need to buy a bigger plot.

Ozzuk

Wouldn't this have required a party wall agreement? I know it's not touching but I thought there was a zone around a wall that was also covered due to foundation requirements.

moneyistooshorttomention

I read that article and feel sorry for the couple involved.

The Council have clearly been inefficient (at best). Cant see any mention of the couple having gone to the Local Government Ombudsman. Would think that might be an appropriate avenue to try? What happened if they have already tried it? Maybe what has happened here is the Council could (as well have should) blasted the neighbour out of the water, but someone somewhere in the Council is a "scaredy cat" and hasn't ignored the totally irrelevant factor here (ie of them being different races). So what? That fact is irrelevant. Facts are facts and scaredy cat local govt. officials scared about try-on neighbour maybe threatening to pull out the "race card" and play it should be ashamed of themselves for lack of backbone. Our laws and regulations apply to EVERYONE.

That neighbour is definitely trying it on. Detached houses are supposed to remain detached quite obviously. From his own pov, its a bit blimmin' stupid to have a whole outside wall of your house that you literally cant get at for maintenance purposes (ie because only an ant could squeeze into that space and they aren't "making" workmen that small).

Mallotum_X

The rooflines clearly overlap, if he has strayed onto their property then they will be able to deal with it through the courts and presumably the wall built on their land will need to be removed.

phoenix_w

davidmcn wrote: »

Hmm. If you want to guarantee a large gap between you and your neighbours, you need to buy a bigger plot.

In that case there are masses of housing estates where this is going to be a problem. Just about every post 60's housing estate I've looked at in these parts has one edge of detached houses at or very close to the boundary. Yet, strangely, I've seen plenty of extensions that - whilst building close to their neighbours property, at least allow daylight to penetrate between the walls.

Planning enforcement everywhere in this country is a joke, and around these parts is well know for being corrupt. The one time I needed their help (neighbour deviated from plan and built onto my property, and even admitted so but were adamant they weren't going to put it right) they told me that the work wasn't to plan but they wouldn't take any action and suggested I ring the CAB or take my own legal action. Thanks for nothing!

Pixie5740

The neighbour is apparently a property developer so I assume he's looking to sell the property in the near future. If I was looking for a 4 bedroom detached house I'd want it to be, well detached really. Not rammed up against my neighbour's house with overlapping rooves.

If they haven't already done so then the Whites ought to appeal this.

somethingcorporate

Absolutely bonkers.

Acc72

I_have_spoken wrote: »

Corruption, racism, nepotism.

My thoughts also.

AdrianC

Let's ignore the papers and actually look at the planning detail, shall we?

http://connect.birmingham.public-i.tv/document/61_The_Hurst__Moseley.pdf

Application number - 2013/03277/PA
http://eplanning.birmingham.gov.uk/Northgate/PlanningExplorer/ApplicationSearch.aspx

There's no record on there of any objections to the application, and the before photos in the PDF show that the two houses were linked anyway by a closed passageway which has been replaced.

Racism? Well, I do wonder if the Telegraph's coverage and the neighbour's apparent attitude would have been different if the guy's name was Mark North instead of Mohammed Nazir.