Neighbours' dormer windows

pollyanna24

My house is almost on the end of the road. I have one neighbour to the side and the road turns into the next road. This means that down the left hand side of my garden, I have a lot of other people's fencing butting up to my fence.

One of the houses (the closest save for my neighbour) has just started installing dormer windows.

I appreciate that there is probably nothing I can do about this as I have researched the net and they probably don't need planning permission as it won't extend past the height of the roof etc.

But I did find this in my research:-

"Any window on a side elevation within 15 metres of a boundary with another house is obscure glazed; and is non opening unless the parts which can be opened are more than 1.7 metres above the floor of the room in which the window is installed."

It will be quite close to my house and overlooking my garden. I'm presuming it will be a bedroom, but can I request that the council asks that they obscure or glaze the windows? Or that they be non opening windows (but I'm sure the neighbours wouldn't agree to that?)

G_M

is it "within 15 metres of a boundary with another house"?

pinklady21

Have you asked the planning dept at your local council whether it is covered by PD rights?

pollyanna24

G_M wrote: »

is it "within 15 metres of a boundary with another house"?

Their garden is only about 20ft long, so 6m, so yes the windows are less than 15m from my fence. And my house. As they are the neighbours closest. If it was the neighbours at the end of my garden, it would still be 6m from my fence, but further from my house if that makes sense.

pollyanna24

pinklady21 wrote: »

Have you asked the planning dept at your local council whether it is covered by PD rights?

I haven't as yet. Was going to ring them this afternoon, but cannot find anything on the website re them getting planning permission, so can only assume they didn't need it as from what I can gather (and I'm no expert, just from a few minutes' on the net), that loft dormer windows only need planning if they will be higher than the original room and stick out further than the original house, which it does.

ET: Or is PD something else?

pollyanna24

And thinking about it, not sure if this makes a difference, but if they were to look out of the dormer windows (they haven't been finished yet), they most likely will be able to look directly into my kitchen!

Hoploz

Is it on the SIDE of their house, or on the back?

pinklady21

, but cannot find anything on the website re them getting planning permission, so can only assume they didn't need it

Or maybe they do actually require planning permission, and have not applied for it.
Call the Council and ask what the rules are - they may have a copy of their policies on upstairs conversions / dormer extension etc on their website. Ask them what you need to be looking at to see what is allowed under PD, or what requires a planning application.
Of course, even if an application is submitted, and you object, it doesn't mean to say it won't be granted!
Best of luck.

tacticalbanjo

I think the key here are the words 'side elevation'. The dormer is presumably on the house's rear elevation so the rule wouldn't apply.

Davesnave

tacticalbanjo wrote: »

I think the key here are the words 'side elevation'. The dormer is presumably on the house's rear elevation so the rule wouldn't apply.

One can have a dormer on a side elevation; it just depends on the roof structure. They were very common in the roads where I used to live, often to gain height at the top of a new stairway.


...And the other thing that cannot be presumed is that they have gone into the matter of planning thoroughly.


EDIT....And even if they have, they may be like a neighbour of mine (1/4 mile away!) who has just installed a new upper floor where the planners told them they couldn't have one. These people will probably be visited quite soon by the planning officer.

sal_III

Quite the NIMBY post, what exactly is your concern, that the neighbours are going to spy on your backyard and kitchen?

Chances are they only want some more natural light in their loft, and not at all interested in peeking at your property, for that they could have simply installed a hidden camera.