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

Shaztastic3000

it’s highly likely that your neighbours won’t give a toss about your concerns, and there is precisely zero change the council will look to take any enforcement action on this.

so your wife is going to be doing a lot more sobbing pal - stock up on tissues!

MacMickster

I really can't understand quite why the OP chose to start this thread.  He has already decided that he is going to amicably chat to his good neighbour over tea and biscuits. They will apologise for ruining his wife's life, move the offending unit at their own cost after getting the appropriate planning permission (the OP is very concerned about planning permission so wouldn't consider having the unit moved without it) and then they will all get together for a barbie over the bank holiday.

Not even worthy of one of MSE's ridiculous dilemma threads.

Back to real life, wait for the next thread when the neighbour retaliates by applying for planning permission for a wind turbine 1 metre from the border between the 2 properties.

calleyw

still trying to work out how a beige box can reduce someone to tears.  You are already looking out on a brick wall.  Not sure who spends all days stood at their windows staring out, I do people with no lives and poking their noses in to others business.  The only time I might look out my window is if I hear unsual noises or when I am opening and closing the curtains.

I seriously hope the neighbour gets PP just to annoy you.  As everything seems to annoy you people having gates on their drive way.  Unless its a listed house I don't get why there is such a issue.  Well I do but not qualified to make a diagnosis

Martian2035

I still think it can be resolved by negotiation

Genuine question - given your insistence that following the correct process and administration is important - if your neighbour agreed to move the unit to a place more preferable, without planning permission... would you support that?

980233

metron said:

AdrianC said:

Doc_N said:

The OP is right on the law though

Yes, he is.

But he seems unwilling to act on that, by bringing the lack of PP to the one group of people who can do anything at all about it.

Just to update you on that, I've now spoken to the local authority (without providing name or address details - I still intend to resolve this without invoking enforcement action by Planning if possible).

They confirm what I already knew - there is no exemption at all for air conditioning units, and planning permission has to be sought in the ordinary way.  That applies to all areas, and not just Conservation Areas.

The only exemption (via Permitted Development rights - and some houses have had those removed) is for heat pumps used solely for heating purposes.

What was interesting was the comment that they were aware of the misinformation being put about online by companies selling the units, and they were actually keen to make an example of people ignoring planning by taking enforcement action.  They were positively begging me to make a complaint!

I won't at this stage, because I still think it can be resolved by negotiation.  We actually get on very well with our neighbours, and I can't see us falling out over this.  Need to get the timing of a chat right, with both husband and wife when they're both at home, and that might take a few days.

Timing the chat, when both are available? Can't do it with one of the other parties alone? That sounds perfectly normal so why the need for opinion from strangers and 'trolls' and a planning department begging for a complaint to be made official?

ispookie666

A bit late. 
I recently installed 2 Aircon in our house. Applied for planning permission, discussed with the neighbours. I had to remove the larger 7.1kw unit as the planning officer/environmental agency required Noise assessment. 

Planning permission is not needed if you are only installing one unit, the unit size is less than 0.60cubic m, not in a conservation area. The installers had no clue about this, the council were mewh.. 

One thing to note - these are very very quiet units but as time goes, anything with a fan can become noisy. 

Adding a few more lengths of coppertubing should not be problem, but it is likely that they would not want to do this, lower condenser would be close to things in the garden. The only thing I could suggest is some sort of two sided enclosure to cover the ugly thing. 

Doc_N

ispookie666 said:

A bit late. 
I recently installed 2 Aircon in our house. Applied for planning permission, discussed with the neighbours. I had to remove the larger 7.1kw unit as the planning officer/environmental agency required Noise assessment. 

Planning permission is not needed if you are only installing one unit, the unit size is less than 0.60cubic m, not in a conservation area. The installers had no clue about this, the council were mewh.. 

One thing to note - these are very very quiet units but as time goes, anything with a fan can become noisy. 

Adding a few more lengths of coppertubing should not be problem, but it is likely that they would not want to do this, lower condenser would be close to things in the garden. The only thing I could suggest is some sort of two sided enclosure to cover the ugly thing. 

A useful post for a change, which might help the OP with his question. Getting a bit dull and boring here with all the moaners and whingers constantly carping on because they haven't a clue what it's like to live somewhere outside a city, a town, or a huge housing estate.

Interesting comments on noise, though I don't think the OP has said much about noise so far? I'd assumed they were noisy, but maybe not from what you say.

As you'll see from various posts above though, you still need permission, even for one unit - the exemption you mention is for heat pumps - not AC units. The confusion has been caused by AC sellers deliberately misleading people.

lookstraightahead

Doc_N said:

ispookie666 said:

A bit late. 
I recently installed 2 Aircon in our house. Applied for planning permission, discussed with the neighbours. I had to remove the larger 7.1kw unit as the planning officer/environmental agency required Noise assessment. 

Planning permission is not needed if you are only installing one unit, the unit size is less than 0.60cubic m, not in a conservation area. The installers had no clue about this, the council were mewh.. 

One thing to note - these are very very quiet units but as time goes, anything with a fan can become noisy. 

Adding a few more lengths of coppertubing should not be problem, but it is likely that they would not want to do this, lower condenser would be close to things in the garden. The only thing I could suggest is some sort of two sided enclosure to cover the ugly thing. 

A useful post for a change, which might help the OP with his question. Getting a bit dull and boring here with all the moaners and whingers constantly carping on because they haven't a clue what it's like to live somewhere outside a city, a town, or a huge housing estate.

Interesting comments on noise, though I don't think the OP has said much about noise so far? I'd assumed they were noisy, but maybe not from what you say.

As you'll see from various posts above though, you still need permission, even for one unit - the exemption you mention is for heat pumps - not AC units. The confusion has been caused by AC sellers deliberately misleading people.

Why do you assume this? 

I live in a "postman pat" type village but can't fathom out the attitude of the op, and now yourself, who seem to think people should behave differently.

in my village, generally everyone is flexible to peoples needs and wants. Maybe it's because they've got enough in their lives to occupy them?

There are villages everywhere in the country - did you know that?

I don't recognise these 'rules' at all. I think it's a false sense of understanding village life. 

Maybe the only solution is to move to an area of listed buildings.

980233

lookstraightahead said:

Doc_N said:

ispookie666 said:

A bit late. 
I recently installed 2 Aircon in our house. Applied for planning permission, discussed with the neighbours. I had to remove the larger 7.1kw unit as the planning officer/environmental agency required Noise assessment. 

Planning permission is not needed if you are only installing one unit, the unit size is less than 0.60cubic m, not in a conservation area. The installers had no clue about this, the council were mewh.. 

One thing to note - these are very very quiet units but as time goes, anything with a fan can become noisy. 

Adding a few more lengths of coppertubing should not be problem, but it is likely that they would not want to do this, lower condenser would be close to things in the garden. The only thing I could suggest is some sort of two sided enclosure to cover the ugly thing. 

A useful post for a change, which might help the OP with his question. Getting a bit dull and boring here with all the moaners and whingers constantly carping on because they haven't a clue what it's like to live somewhere outside a city, a town, or a huge housing estate.

Interesting comments on noise, though I don't think the OP has said much about noise so far? I'd assumed they were noisy, but maybe not from what you say.

As you'll see from various posts above though, you still need permission, even for one unit - the exemption you mention is for heat pumps - not AC units. The confusion has been caused by AC sellers deliberately misleading people.

Why do you assume this? 

I live in a "postman pat" type village but can't fathom out the attitude of the op, and now yourself, who seem to think people should behave differently.

in my village, generally everyone is flexible to peoples needs and wants. Maybe it's because they've got enough in their lives to occupy them?

There are villages everywhere in the country - did you know that?

I don't recognise these 'rules' at all. I think it's a false sense of understanding village life. 

Maybe the only solution is to move to an area of listed buildings.

^
This all day long.

Martian2035

lookstraightahead said:

Doc_N said:

ispookie666 said:

A bit late. 
I recently installed 2 Aircon in our house. Applied for planning permission, discussed with the neighbours. I had to remove the larger 7.1kw unit as the planning officer/environmental agency required Noise assessment. 

Planning permission is not needed if you are only installing one unit, the unit size is less than 0.60cubic m, not in a conservation area. The installers had no clue about this, the council were mewh.. 

One thing to note - these are very very quiet units but as time goes, anything with a fan can become noisy. 

Adding a few more lengths of coppertubing should not be problem, but it is likely that they would not want to do this, lower condenser would be close to things in the garden. The only thing I could suggest is some sort of two sided enclosure to cover the ugly thing. 

A useful post for a change, which might help the OP with his question. Getting a bit dull and boring here with all the moaners and whingers constantly carping on because they haven't a clue what it's like to live somewhere outside a city, a town, or a huge housing estate.

Interesting comments on noise, though I don't think the OP has said much about noise so far? I'd assumed they were noisy, but maybe not from what you say.

As you'll see from various posts above though, you still need permission, even for one unit - the exemption you mention is for heat pumps - not AC units. The confusion has been caused by AC sellers deliberately misleading people.

Why do you assume this? 

I live in a "postman pat" type village but can't fathom out the attitude of the op, and now yourself, who seem to think people should behave differently.

in my village, generally everyone is flexible to peoples needs and wants. Maybe it's because they've got enough in their lives to occupy them?

There are villages everywhere in the country - did you know that?

I don't recognise these 'rules' at all. I think it's a false sense of understanding village life. 

Maybe the only solution is to move to an area of listed buildings.

just to support this - I have lived in a city, but he up in and moved back to a very small D very rural town in the middle of nowhere with a strong community and collective spirit