Planning consent and neighbour complaints

Ibby · April 11, 2015

In December last year I purchased a detached property on a corner plot. The property is an 'L' shaped house with a detached garage. I submitted a planning application to my local council to join the garage to the main house and to convert the garage into a bedroom for my autistic son (he is only 4 and has a massive fear of going Upstairs to bed). We also would like to build a further bedroom above the garage which would be larger than usual (again for my son when he is ready to go upstairs and for all his things to go in there). We have not moved into the property yet as we would like to do so once all the works are done.

Anyway we do not have any neighbours opposite to the house, just a house next to the garage to the side. It is another detached house that is on a smaller plot so it is a taller property than ours.

As soon as the neighbours were given notice of our plans this neighbour complains about various things but may ly about losing natural light. In our initial plans we were going to build a bedroom above the garage to the end of the garage but due to the complaint we amended the plans so that the double storey ends 45 degrees from his front window.

Before submitting the amended plans I dropped a note to the neighbours and he text me back. After a few exchanges via text I sent him a copy of the amended plans. He then text me back and he raised more issues and doesn't want to meet or speak in person about it.

My planner says he has no grounds to object and it is down to jealousy? He was even asking questions about the footings of the extension and other such questions that are no concern of his. The light issue is also a non starter as his garden is south facing and sun rises from his right side - due to the height of his property his house blocks most of the light to ours anyway? (something my builder also agrees with). All this basically means it has to go to committee for a decision. I have never had to go through this before. Has anyone else experienced the same problems and had to go to committee?

Edited April 11, 2015 by Ibby

Tosh · April 11, 2015