Selling House - Are Planning Objections Considered to Be Disputes?

SeasideSally

Hello everyone,

I hope that someone can offer me some advice.

We are about to put our house on the market, and I would really like to know whether objections to planning applications are considered to be disputes.

We got planning permission for a new door a couple of years back, and our neighbour objected. We got permission, and we thought that was the end of it. But we've just been told that objections to planning applications come up in local searches and are considered disputes.

We fell out with our neighbours three years ago, but the cause was entirely personal. Namely, the wife made a play for my husband. There was a brief exchange of words, and we haven't spoken since then. She used the planning application as an opportunity to vent pent up anger (that we didn't even know still existed). Unfortunately, she decided to get creative when she was doing it and claimed that we denied her access to land behind our houses. This land belongs to another neighbour, we've never denied access to it because it doesn't belong to us, and as far as we're aware this other neighbour has never denied access to it either. In fact, this female neighbour has never asked anyone for access to it. She'd never complained about it prior to the application and has never complained about it since - because she made it up.

We're completely prepared to disclose the fact that we had a personal disagreement and don't speak to each other. But we're worried about the planning objection. There's no way to resolve a non-existent dispute about land we don't own.

Will this come up in the searches?

Many thanks in advance.:)

mrschaucer

1) Planning objections are not disputes.
2) The personal dispute can be explained factually (if necessary) - neighbour wrongly accused you of refusing access to land which he mistakenly thought was yours. The matter has been resolved.

SeasideSally

Many thanks, mrschaucer.

Thank goodness for that.

How would we say it had been resolved? We've never spoken to this neighbour about it, so we've made no attempt to resolve it. Or is it resolved simply because it was never a real problem?

davidmcn

SeasideSally wrote: »

But we've just been told that objections to planning applications come up in local searches and are considered disputes.

Who's told that they're considered disputes?

I wouldn't have said they are. But they are a matter of public record - chances are that anyone who looks up your planning application on the council website will see them (have you checked?). They are sometimes anonymised, but the context might make it obvious that it's from a neighbour (and which neighbour it was).

Doozergirl

If it's not your land then it's resolved because it's nithing to do with you

SeasideSally

davidmcn wrote: »

Who's told that they're considered disputes?

An estate agent who we had around to look at the house.

davidmcn wrote: »

I wouldn't have said they are. But they are a matter of public record - chances are that anyone who looks up your planning application on the council website will see them (have you checked?). They are sometimes anonymised, but the context might make it obvious that it's from a neighbour (and which neighbour it was).

The objection was online, but then it disappeared. I suppose it might have been removed accidentally and could reappear. :undecided

bouicca21

When we sold I did put a planning objection in the disputes section - a successful objection I had made to a planning application by a neighbour. Although I wrote the objection, the ex insisted on signing it. Result, neighbour never spoke to him again, but they did occasionally talk to me!

davidmcn

SeasideSally wrote: »

An estate agent who we had around to look at the house.

I would suggest you seek legal advice from lawyers rather than estate agents.

None of this seems something which purchasers would be interested in anyway.

Davesnave

davidmcn wrote: »

None of this seems something which purchasers would be interested in anyway.

I would probably dig out the files for additional planning, if any existed for the property, or property nearby. What people write is often fairly illuminating regarding their character, intelligence etc. Forewarned is forearmed....


There again, the fact that I'd look probably says something about me!:rotfl:

SeasideSally

bouicca21 wrote: »

When we sold I did put a planning objection in the disputes section - a successful objection I had made to a planning application by a neighbour. Although I wrote the objection, the ex insisted on signing it. Result, neighbour never spoke to him again, but they did occasionally talk to me!

:cheesy: How did your buyer react? Do you think it made any difference?

SeasideSally

Davesnave wrote: »

I would probably dig out the files for additional planning, if any existed for the property, or property nearby. What people write is often fairly illuminating regarding their character, intelligence etc. Forewarned is forearmed....

I think my neighbour's objection would suggest she is... well, put politely... a bit daft.

I'm not sure how much this would put a buyer off. We've not sold a place before, and we bought our house so long ago that I can't even remember the process.

I think I'm too subjective, as I'm viewing the objection from the point of view of someone who is utterly loathed by her neighbour for being the wife of the man who scorned her. She'll have no reason to loathe our buyer.