Permitted Development.. allows you to be overlooked?

melaniejade7

Hi all just looking for some advice,


Last year I received notice from our local council that the neighbours who back on to our house were planning to build a side extension on top of their existing garage on their detached house. I reviewed the plans and drawings and spoke to my adjacent neighbours. As the plans listed the new upstairs room was to be a bathroom with obscure glass I saw no need to appeal against their plans. Their building works commenced with a concrete base going down right across the back of the house. I contacted my local council as this wasn't part of the plans and was told this was being done under permitted development and didn't require planning permission.


To cut a long story short this monstrosity has now been built, their property is on higher ground than us and their house is on ground higher than their garden. They have put in a set of 4 fold bifold doors that look right on to us.So when we are in our kitchen,, dining room, conservatory we have to see them coming in and out of their bifold doors to and from the garden, see right into their house when the doors are open and then see them walking back and forth past these doors all the time as their extension is now part of their kitchen and now a dining room.


Obviously its even worse from our two upstairs bedrooms which over look the garden as these look straight into their house. Before their extension I often use to catch the neighbour looking out of their old kitchen window up at my house but at least then there was some good distance between us but this wasn't an issue at ground level in the house.


between our gardens is a brick wall which itself is tall, slightly over 6ft but its not tall enough taking into account how much closer their house is now to the boundary wall, being on higher ground and having bifold doors!. I have two quotes to put up professional trellis of 2 - 3ft on top of the wall to provide us with privacy and so we don't have to keep seeing them . The landscapers have said that trellis is a grey area and that unlike close boarded fence panels you can see through it, its not classed as fencing and we would be within our rights to put it up.


Ive read other stories on the internet that seem to contradict this.


I just wondered if anyone else had a similar situation and could advise.


The last thing I want to do is spend money then have these neighbours request its taken down.


This permitted development seems in some cases unfair that people can be allowed to impact on other peoples homes, lives and privacy.


This extension has been done on the cheap of thermalite blocks and rendered and painted bright white, opposed to the yellow brick we use to look at, it looks to me over 4 metres and no neighbour consultation took place. The trouble I have is the family that live there are part of a family of local builders so I have no doubts they have good connections in the planning dept!!


thanks in advance for any advice you can share..

GwylimT

If you're so concerned you can see them, why don't you just stop looking into their windows?

melaniejade7

This is the first time I have ever posted on this forum, so thank you for taking your time GWYLIM T to post such a helpful reply and provide me with such a good first impression of the helpfulness of the people on this forum site!

GwylimT

melaniejade7 wrote: »

This is the first time I have ever posted on this forum, so thank you for taking your time GWYLIM T to post such a helpful reply and provide me with such a good first impression of the helpfulness of the people on this forum site!

You stated you have to see them, well you don't, you only have to see them if you choose to keeping looking into their windows.

Most people are over looked by a neighbour, but most manage not to become obsessed with looking through their neighbours windows.

You were clearly overlooked when you decided to live in the property, so if it was something you found so stressful then surely even before the extension it wasn't the property for you.

What other advice do you want? Stop looking removes your problem, as do installing curtains and blinds.

ManuelG

GwylimT wrote: »

as do installing curtains and blinds.

The houses all around me like their blinds and nets...

Apart from the house at the back, where the extension has some large patio doors, and if I'm in the back room I end up with an unwitting view of their entire lifestyle.

I can empathise, there's nowhere else *for* me to look if I'm in that room, and I wish they'd follow the trend to put some nets up, it makes me feel a little uncomfortable!

But yes, this is a fact of life, and this isn't the only place this'd happen. At least they don't eat breakfast naked!

Doozergirl

Go and speak to them nicely about the trellis. Show them a picture and I'm sure they'll be fine.

cyclonebri1

melaniejade7 wrote: »

This is the first time I have ever posted on this forum, so thank you for taking your time GWYLIM T to post such a helpful reply and provide me with such a good first impression of the helpfulness of the people on this forum site!

I agree with what you are saying re 1st impressions etc, but there are always 2 views. They may be thinking it's you peering over the wall.
Imagine you lived in the other house and someone wanted to stop you building what you were entitled to under permitted development?
I'm afraid it's all part of living in an urban situation, people are in close contact and there is friction.

Regarding what you can actually do I think the answer is not a lot, but they may be in the right to complaim, as I can tell you realise, should install anything to high on a permanent basis, (theres a clue for you)

Hoploz

Do they realise you can see right in to what they're doing? I'm wondering whether if you had a friendly chat with them (haha yes tea and cake, and invite them to have a look for themselves) you could even end up with them footing the bill for some tall planting or if it's the only option then the trellis which you might both grow something up?

I wonder whether if they are a family of builders then they might plan to develop the house then sell on in the coming couple of years, so it would be in their interests to give a little privacy - it'll be easier to sell on, especially if the planting has had a while to grow up and do its job.

27col

There would not be much house building if people were "entitled" to privacy/ not being overlooked. When I lived in a terraced property in Portsmouth back in the 1960's. If you were in the back garden I counted at least 23 windows which overlooked us. It's fact of life. Get used to it.

Mojisola

melaniejade7 wrote: »

I have two quotes to put up professional trellis of 2 - 3ft on top of the wall to provide us with privacy and so we don't have to keep seeing them .

The landscapers have said that trellis is a grey area and that unlike close boarded fence panels you can see through it, its not classed as fencing and we would be within our rights to put it up.

It's not a grey area! I wouldn't employ people who say things like this - they get paid for the work and aren't around if your neighbours complain.

Like others, I would start by talking to the neighbours. We have fences higher than 2m between us and neighbours because we all like it that way. If your neighbours agree, go ahead.

If they don't, you'll have to think about planting taller plants to give you some privacy. Tall bamboo in pots can give you height very quickly.

bgm_co

melaniejade7 wrote: »

The trouble I have is the family that live there are part of a family of local builders so I have no doubts they have good connections in the planning dept!!

How is that the trouble?

I think you need to communicate with your neighbours. Just because they have acted on their PD rights doesn't mean they are unreasonable people. They may be absolutely fine with trellis and may even offer to contribute to the cost.

Communication is key.