Air conditioning unit on side of neighbour's house - best approach?

metron

Our new neighbours have decided to have air conditioning, and have had the external unit fixed towards the top of their house. It's pretty ugly looking, and will doubtless produce some noise, but although technically it probably requires planning permission (https://www.revk.uk/2018/07/air-conditioning-at-home-planning.html) I'm not keen on making a fuss about it.

My wife, however, is deeply upset by it - it looks hideous and has wrecked the view from most of our windows.

Any suggestions for persuading them, peaceably, to have it moved to ground level where it would be far less obtrusive?  I favour a chat, but I'm very keen to avoid falling out - no winners if that happens!

Do these things have to be mounted half way up a wall, or do they work just as well at ground level?  Not my area of expertise - I just want to find some way of keeping my wife from being so upset without antagonising the neighbours. Resorting to threats of retaliation or talking to the planning department can only make matters worse.

m0bov

You've answered your own question.

user1977

Plenty of condensers at ground level if you look at commercial installations. The difficulty is that they've apparently already fitted it...what incentive are you going to offer to them to cover the cost/hassle of relocating it, given they couldn't be bothered consulting with you in the first place (or getting planning)?

AFF8879

If it requires planning permission then, unless you have evidence that they have disregarded that then there isn’t really much you can/should do. I’m not sure if this type of planning decision would be publicly available, but doesn’t hurt to check your local council website.

I’m curious to how it’s “wrecked the view”. Does it block an otherwise uninterrupted view of the countryside, etc? If it’s just that you think your neighbours’ house looks uglier then that comes under the category of “too bad”… (assuming of course you don’t live in a conservation/protected area, but if you did it’s virtually impossible they would have received planning consent for a big ugly unit sticking out).

AdrianC

Your choices are simple and limited...

1. Bring the planning department's attention to the unit.
The neighbour may be asked to apply for retrospective permission. They may well get it.
That's what the link you provided is about, after all.
Yes, you can draw their attention to it anonymously.
But if you want to object, that is not anonymous. Would you object?
If you do object, what are the legitimate grounds you have for objecting? Here's a list... https://www.iobject.co.uk/what-are-valid-reasons-for-objecting-to-a-planning-application.html

2. Ask the neighbour nicely.
Who will foot the bill for moving it?

(1 and 2 are not mutually exclusive)

3. Do neither.
Will the marital consequences outweigh the neighbourly consequences?
Will they pass quickly?

There are no other options.

Your own link suggests certain circumstances where planning permission is not required. One of those is where it's an airsource heat pump used only for heating. Do you know that does not apply?

metron

AFF8879 said:

If it requires planning permission then, unless you have evidence that they have disregarded that then there isn’t really much you can/should do. I’m not sure if this type of planning decision would be publicly available, but doesn’t hurt to check your local council website.

I’m curious to how it’s “wrecked the view”. Does it block an otherwise uninterrupted view of the countryside, etc? If it’s just that you think your neighbours’ house looks uglier then that comes under the category of “too bad”… (assuming of course you don’t live in a conservation/protected area, but if you did it’s virtually impossible they would have received planning consent for a big ugly unit sticking out).

There's definitely no planning permission - I check all local applications weekly.  This is the sort of unit we're talking about - but only the one.

Wrecking the view is an exaggeration on my part - but that's the way my wife sees it, unfortunately, and she's in tears about it.

They might well get PP of course, retrospectively, but shifting it might be a simpler option from their point of view, and they do seem to have limitless funds (tens of thousands spent replacing items in a house built just 5 years ago for example).  

metron

user1977 said:

Plenty of condensers at ground level if you look at commercial installations. The difficulty is that they've apparently already fitted it...what incentive are you going to offer to them to cover the cost/hassle of relocating it, given they couldn't be bothered consulting with you in the first place (or getting planning)?

Fair point - nothing, really, apart from appealing to their better nature. And the fact that money is absolutely no object to anything.  Logically, there's not a lot we can do about it in practical terms, but I'm searching for an answer!  

Carrot007

What can you practically do?

1. Move. Find a nice house away from people by at least 10 metres all round. They exuists and seem to be what your wife needs.

2. Get a divorce/New wife.

Pok3mon

I am trying to understand why your wife is SO upset the view was hardly majestic?! 

Am I missing something?

The noise may be another issue.

It is a strange setup normally there would be one unit outside even if multiple units inside. 

calleyw

Carrot007 said:

What can you practically do?

1. Move. Find a nice house away from people by at least 10 metres all round. They exuists and seem to be what your wife needs.

2. Get a divorce/New wife.

or number 3) the wife gets a grip as I don't get why she is in tears over a beige box!!!! Unless its really loud then that would annoy me

NSG666

Given this seems to be an issue regarding an air conditioning unit the answer appropriately comes from the Disney animation Frozen.

"Let it go"