Neighbour's garage conversion

snowwhite398

Our neighbour has just converted their garage - I assume into a bedroom. They didn't get planning permission.
They have removed the garage doors and put three huge floor to ceiling windows on the front. Because their house and garage are set back, relative to ours (and all other houses on the street), these new windows look directly into our upstairs bedroom and downstairs living area. This garage is pretty close to our house so it feels very intrusive.
My question is, should they have got planning for this? Or is it permitted development? They haven't extended the garage in any way and I'm not sure what they've done to the other walls of the building as they face on to their property. 

marcia_

snowwhite398 said:

Our neighbour has just converted their garage - I assume into a bedroom. They didn't get planning permission.
They have removed the garage doors and put three huge floor to ceiling windows on the front. Because their house and garage are set back, relative to ours (and all other houses on the street), these new windows look directly into our upstairs bedroom and downstairs living area. This garage is pretty close to our house so it feels very intrusive.
My question is, should they have got planning for this? Or is it permitted development? They haven't extended the garage in any way and I'm not sure what they've done to the other walls of the building as they face on to their property. 

 Why does this bother you? 

snowwhite398

Because they now look directly into our bedroom and lounge. I don't think it's unreasonable to expect privacy in my own home

Doozergirl

It falls under permitted development for most people but there are no planning rules limiting the amount of glass in your windows at ground floor level, even if it did need planning permission.  

It's your upstairs that overlooks their room, not other way around.  They'll see hardly anything more than your ceiling, you will be the ones likely to see more!  For the ground floor, fences, hedges, blinds and curtains exist for the purpose of privacy.  

marcia_

 Pretty sure a garage conversion is permitted development so no planing needed. Lots of my neighbours have done similar without planning permission 

Brie

I thought this sort of thing needs permission but could be wrong.  You could ring up the local planning department and ask - as if you might be thinking of doing something yourself and without snitching.  Then you can decide the next step.

As for lack of privacy - is a fence/hedge feasible??

sevenhills

Surely it would need to follow building regulations, planning too?
The garage could be a death trap for anyone inside. Has it got the correct insulation, is there sufficient parking for another resident and have they followed legal wiring rules etc

marcia_

 Building regs yes but my neighbour put in a planning application for his garage and the council said it wasn't needed.

sevenhills

snowwhite398 said:

Because their house and garage are set back, relative to ours (and all other houses on the street)

Is the garage joined on to the house or freestanding?

grumbler

sevenhills said:

Surely it would need to follow building regulations, planning too?

building regulations - yes

planning (permission) - no

Doozergirl

sevenhills said:

Surely it would need to follow building regulations, planning too?
The garage could be a death trap for anyone inside. Has it got the correct insulation, is there sufficient parking for another resident and have they followed legal wiring rules etc

Building Regulations and Planning are two totally different sets of rules and two different departments with people doing very different job roles.  You can need one without the other, neither or both.  

This neighbour's perceived overlooking problem has zero to do with building regs.  

The parking you've mentioned is a Planning thing.