Impact of Neighbour's Garden Being Developed?

WeB

We had our offer accepted on a property and have now found out that the neighbours received planning permission to build a 3 bed bungalow in their back garden. They are knocking down the current side extension to allow for a driveway to the back of the property.

The new driveway will be right next to the fence and will pass within <1.5m of the main bedroom window, the lounge and the side of the conservatory.

The new bungalow will probably mean that part of the garden will now be shaded (earlier) and we'll also have 3 parking spaces on the other side of the fence. Plus a year + of disruption when trucks are driving past, water/gas/electrics installed,... .

We liked the house because of the larger than average garden and were looking forward to spending a lot of time in the garden.

The house had been under offer before, but after a little research I found they pulled out for this exact reason. Obviously, the estate agent or current owner didn't care to mention this to us... .

We're a little conflicted about this and haven't made a final decision yet. But we are seriously thinking about a) lowering our offer; b) pulling out. In terms of lowering the offer, I have no idea what the impact of this new development with the driveway so close to us will have on the price of the house. I believe it will be worth less once the bungalow is built and the impact becomes clearer and more visible. But I don't know how much less.

Any thoughts or feedback would be appreciated.

quantumlobster

It sounds to me like you've made up your mind, and are just testing your conclusions.

In your position, I'd walk away.

AdrianC

WeB wrote: »

We had our offer accepted on a property and have now found out that the neighbours received planning permission to build a 3 bed bungalow in their back garden.

When was your offer accepted, and what's the timescales for the planning app on the local authority's website?

The house had been under offer before, but after a little research I found they pulled out for this exact reason. Obviously, the estate agent or current owner didn't care to mention this to us...

And you didn't look on the LA's planning site, either? Just as well your solicitor did - which, I guess, is how you found out.

We're a little conflicted about this and haven't made a final decision yet. But we are seriously thinking about a) lowering our offer; b) pulling out. In terms of lowering the offer

They are your choices, yep.

I have no idea what the impact of this new development with the driveway so close to us will have on the price of the house. I believe it will be worth less once the bungalow is built and the impact becomes clearer and more visible. But I don't know how much less.

Nobody does. You at least know where in the country the property is, if you're asking us...

telemarks

Is buying the property, then applying for a similar building in your garden a possibility?


If so, there may be a tidy profit to be had selling the house and plot separately in a few years time, that could be worth factoring in?

mistertea

Buy it at a reduced price due to the impending disruption, build a bungalow at the back, sell both properties and buy something even nicer. Could be a goldmine... Could be a nightmare... Research needed.

Flugelhorn

These days I always look at the planning site and the flood risk site before deciding whether to view the property.

Interesting idea about developing the garden yourself, i wouldn't fancy it but if it suits you, you could make a profit

WeB

telemarks wrote: »

Is buying the property, then applying for a similar building in your garden a possibility?

It might be, but we're looking for a place to live. Not a project.

TBagpuss

Decide if you still want to live there with the additional building next door, and if you do, how much less the house is worth to you, and act accordingly.
Perhaps start by looking at rightmove listing s and see what properties are, in your view, comparable to the property as it will b once the neighbours do their building work, and knock a bit off to take into account the fact that you'll be living next door to a building site for a while.

davidmcn

I suspect it won't objectively make much difference to the market value if any shadowing/overlooking is within normal planning constraints, though the temporary disturbance will currently affect the marketability. If you want proper advice about the value then ask your surveyor.

Cakeguts

Since living next to a building site and then another house isn't what you originally thought you were going to buy my guess is that this isn't the house for you.

financegeek

how desperate are the current owners to sell?

if they have to sell, you might be in luck and be able to negotiate a big discount. I know you've said that you're buying a place to live rather than develop, but that would save you money from the purchase that you could use for other things (e.g. a nice long holiday while the noisiest building works are carried out!)

in terms of the disruption the build will cause, This depends on what your lifestyle is like? if you're at work all day Monday - Friday, you're unlikely to see much of the builders. if however you're retired and spend most of your time at home, it would be a lot more disruptive.

In terms of cars coming / going, again this is something that's personal / dependent on the property. If the property is rural it's likely to have much more of an impact on noise levels, than if your front door opens on to a busy main road where car noise is pretty constant anyway.

the decision is yours to make. if it were me though, i'd only be proceeding with the purchase if i was getting a huge discount to compensate for the inconvenience.