Objecting to neighbours planning application

[Yorkie62]

In a past life I was chair of the planning committee on my local council. I don't know where you live, but I can imagine that they have similar processes to what we had.

1. If there are no objections, then the application can be approved by an official from the planning department. If there are any objections, it usually goes to the planning committee (a group of councillors). So get your objection in within the deadline.So call your councillor. That’s what they’re bloody for.

Nope. Even with objections planning is approved by an official within the planning department. Only major developments (new housing estates, etc.) go before the planning committee these days

[HugeWhale]

Nope. Even with objections planning is approved by an official within the planning department. Only major developments (new housing estates, etc.) go before the planning committee these days

I think it may depend on where you live. I'm a little out of date and it may be different where I live. The local councillor can advise and may have the power to 'call it in' as we used to say.
Anyway - call them. and get them on board.

[Lockhouse]

I went through exactly the same thing lately. It's a long read but a similar situation.

My neighbour wanted to build a conservatory on the opposite side of his house and to add another garage up to our fence on the other side which faces our side door. He came and spoke to me about it so we both went round to have a look. The garage was a tight fit. It wouldn't match the rest of the house and it would have to be set back in order to both clear our boundary and be wide enough to get a car in. I didn't like it but it's his house - his is already an overdeveloped plot but we've got plenty of space so I thought "go ahead". I said in theory I had no problem if it followed the original lines of the house but that I really didn't want a double height brick wall right up against our fence - could he tell me what the roofline would be? He said "He'd have to check". I thought "very odd that he doesn't know....".

Next day plans for a garage with double height brick wall went in with the council. He had obviously already decided what the roofline was but didn't want to tell me. I went round to see him and said that I'd be objecting. I also said that nothing personal but I'd be objecting in the strongest terms to ensure planning was denied. If he'd have been straight with me, it could have all been sorted out there and then but he obviously knew what his plans were when I asked and thought I wouldn't check.

I googled "reasons for objecting" and wrote a very strong letter to the council. I didn't object to the conservatory - I said I had no problems with it but had a real issue with the additional garage. His application was eventually granted but he was a) asked to amend the garage roofline to what I originally wanted and b) not able to use his garage for commercial purposes (he's a car dealer) so I managed to get some things altered.

So in time, the builders started work on this extension. They stuffed it up and built the wall so close to the fence that he's now unable to fit a roof on it as it would overhang the boundary. It's been like that for two years.

I would suggest doing your best to make contact with your neighbour and telling him you're going to object and why - this can save a lot of time and you might come to an acceptable compromise. If you do object make your objection as strong as possible - if you have a fallback position, suggest it in the objection.

[DimPrawn]

I would suggest doing your best to make contact with your neighbour and telling him you're going to object and why - this can save a lot of time and you might come to an acceptable compromise. If you do object make your objection as strong as possible - if you have a fallback position, suggest it in the objection.

Oh come on, no one is going to talk to their neighbours. Maybe rant on Twitter and Facebook about it?

[Lockhouse]

Oh come on, no one is going to talk to their neighbours. Maybe rant on Twitter and Facebook about it?

He's going to be as sick as a parrot when my 20'x20' carport, for which I don't require planning, goes up next year.

[LondonManc]

In terms of loss of light, the 45 degree rule is your friend.

[hairymouse]

Big thanks to all that replied. I might post again in a more specialist forum but some of the responses have been extremely helpful. I'm going to take northernladuk's advice to create some real evidence of how it will actually look and how much view and light will be blocked. I'll also talk to my councillor soon as HugeWhale suggested.

I don't know the answer about why the improvements are taking place when the place is rented out. I can only think that the current tenenents are leaving and the owner is moving in. I'm going to pop around and talk to them, they might be in for a surprise.

And yes, it dawned on me last night that what I should do first is contact the owner and try to communicate with them. If they were reduce the roofline just where it counts to us, and make it more transparent, we wouldn't object. If they actually are planning on moving on, I can't imagine they would want to start with a feud with the neighbours.

[hairymouse]

In terms of loss of light, the 45 degree rule is your friend.

Can you give me more detail?

[BlasterBates]

I would expect loss of light to be a perfectly reasonable objection that would be looked into. For example, I can't imagine that a back garden permanently in the shade is an acceptable situation.

[LondonManc]

Can you give me more detail?

While the 45-degree rule itself is a bit nebulous, this doc should give you a good idea about right to light:
https://www.123plans.co.uk/uploads/f...htstolight.pdf