The Garden Fence - help and support in tough times

ivyleaf

I'm really tired today. I was awake for hours in the night worrying about the house next door - the owner wants to convert it into 2 flats, and I am terribly worried about how much noise there will be, as the plan is that we will have someone's lounge on the other side of our bedroom wall
They also plan to extend their kitchen, and the foundations will be dug deeper than those of our house, and ours is a shared ownership house with a "full repairing lease" and the housing association may well want a party wall survey to be done and I'm scared in case they demand that we pay for it (with money we have't got....

ETA sorry, just needed to let it out.

nursemaggie

ivyleaf Why not make an appointment to go and see someone at your housing association? I am sure they will be able to reassure you about all your worries. It sounds like they are responsible for legal things. I can't see how if they want something you should have to pay for it.

Don't worry about it. It will not change anything just go and find out. then you will know what you have to face. Hugs

Hard_Up_Hester

How scary Ivyleaf, has the planning permission been passed?
Make sure you register your concerns with the planning department.

Dropped into the butchers after delivering DGD home, 5 big thick burgers, 6 sausages, some stewing beef and some spring greens, I have some yellow sticker salmon in the freezer and a lamb shank, so that's dinner sorted for a few days.

ivyleaf

Thanks nursemaggie and Hester We have until the 13th Oct to "comment" on the plans and we have a Housing Officer at the Housing Assn who we could contact, if OH can move a load of his stuff out of the way to reach the little cabinet where there is an introductory letter from her which we received several years ago - if he can find the letter when he can be persuaded to access the cabinet.

Apart from anything else the plans can only be viewed online, and it's really hard to read any of the text as it's in pale blue on a white background. My cataracts are not impressed! I can pick out a few words here and there if I use a magnifying glass. (I use a fair-sized laptop btw, not a phone or tablet.) but can definitely see the word "Lounge" next to where our bedroom is.

If we "comment" online we can only use up to 1000 characters. I feel I may need more than that! I can't currently get at the printer to do a letter and print it off. handwritten is hard due to arthritic fingers.

We have been so unwell lately that we haven't done anything about any of it yet The Housing Assn HQ is some distance away so the Housing Officer would probably have to come to us, but that worries me too, as we are responsible for the maintenance of the house and there's quite a lot needs doing urgently but we simply haven't any money so it hasn't been done.

Things will be a bit better in a couple of years once we get our State pensions.

Gah, sorry to be such a moaner today. Like a lot of us, I've had a really difficult year, and this just feels like the last straw. Hopefully I'll feel cheerier tomorrow.

Saipan

ivyleaf wrote: »

Thanks nursemaggie and Hester We have until the 13th Oct to "comment" on the plans and we have a Housing Officer at the Housing Assn who we could contact, if OH can move a load of his stuff out of the way to reach the little cabinet where there is an introductory letter from her which we received several years ago - if he can find the letter when he can be persuaded to access the cabinet.

Apart from anything else the plans can only be viewed online, and it's really hard to read any of the text as it's in pale blue on a white background. My cataracts are not impressed! I can pick out a few words here and there if I use a magnifying glass. (I use a fair-sized laptop btw, not a phone or tablet.) but can definitely see the word "Lounge" next to where our bedroom is.

If we "comment" online we can only use up to 1000 characters. I feel I may need more than that! I can't currently get at the printer to do a letter and print it off. handwritten is hard due to arthritic fingers.

We have been so unwell lately that we haven't done anything about any of it yet The Housing Assn HQ is some distance away so the Housing Officer would probably have to come to us, but that worries me too, as we are responsible for the maintenance of the house and there's quite a lot needs doing urgently but we simply haven't any money so it hasn't been done.

Things will be a bit better in a couple of years once we get our State pensions.

Gah, sorry to be such a moaner today. Like a lot of us, I've had a really difficult year, and this just feels like the last straw. Hopefully I'll feel cheerier tomorrow.

I hope you don't mind me commenting Ivyleaf, but I wouldn't bother with the hassle of finding the letter with the HA officer's name - I would just phone the HA and ask them to put you through to the person allocated to your address.

I would also ask them to email or post a copy of the plans that you are able to read - pale blue ink seems an odd choice anyway, as it's not a colour recommended for people with vision difficulties and the HA needs to ensure that the plans are accessible to everyone.

I can understand your feelings about the HA officer coming to the house - I was in a similar situation some years ago - but hopefully if you can read the plans properly then the discussions can take place by phone?

Could you email the letter you want to write, rather than have to print it off? And as you and Mr Ivyleaf have not been well, is there anyone who could help you with the process - maybe a local welfare rights organisation or the CAB?

Good luck and I hope it all works out for you.

ivyleaf

Thank you Saipan, that's really kind. The plans have been posted on the council's website by the owner, who happens to work in that department, and aren't connected with the housing association at all.

It's a great idea to ring the H.A. and ask for our HO, and I guess I will do that. I really don't like using the phone, (probably something to do with not being able to see who I'm talking to) but if OH does it he will go all round the houses and leave the poor housing officer thoroughly confused
Actually though, come to think of it, all the correspondence we get from the housing assn with the correct phone number on it (they've more than one office so the numbers are quite different) is in that cabinet so he will have to move all his stuff anyway, sigh.

nursemaggie

ivyleaf The person who gave you a letter from the Housing Association has probably moved on anyway. I worked for Local Authority housing departments, after I gave up nursing, for over 20 years. Local Authority staff and housing association staff move around a lot for promotion.

Planning is a Local Authority responsibility. They have a duty to make plans available for everyone to see, that includes people with visual impairment. It should not be in pale blue it should be available in black on white at least size 14 font even if they have to print out a copy for you. Architect's plans are usually in blue, don't know why they always have been.

I would call the Housing Association first thing Monday morning, Tell them you are both not well. They should come to you. They are supposed to come out to the vulnerable and you will be classed as that.

I think it will be too late for a CAB appointment. They are so busy these days dealing with welfare rights and jobcentre sanctions. They are booked up weeks ahead. You will only have 4 days by Monday.

Your council's housing office may be able to help. You also need to talk to the planning department.

Floss

Ivyleaf the Shelter website may be able to give you some advice on this, and also the council in relation to the accessibility of the plan online. Also, contact your councillors as this is what they should be helping people with.

Have you considered sending an email the HO at your HA (look on their website) asking for urgent advice?

ivyleaf

Thank you so much nursemaggie and Floss. I'll ring the planning dept on Monday morning and say we need a set of plans we can actually read, and try to get hold of our housing officer at the HA

Softstuff

Aw Ivyleaf *hugs*, sorry you've got this new development. You've already got good advice on what to do, so I'll fill in on the other side of things. If it does turn out it's going to be flats next door, it might not be as bad as you think. Mum was worried when next door converted to flats (hers is a semi). Like what you think the one next door might be, it meant her bedroom was next to their lounge room. And then it was rented out.

Aside froman unfortunate incident with one tenant and a dart board on the party wall (quickly removed when she told them), it has turned out for the best. The flats ard now occupied with older tenants, they socialize, share meals and generally look out for one another. In addition, I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, modern conversions have to take noise into account with construction. So additional sound insulation would be used.

If any surveys or work is to bd done to accommodate the development, that's for them to pay surely.