neighbours extension blocking my light

Right to Light is a very specific area of law and NOT a planning consideration in itself. For a start, how would they get planning permission to encroach onto your property, and surely when the building control officer came to inspect the footings before concrete was poured he would have noticed the fact that they were on your land. In law, this will constitute an obstruction. Look up. The court could also issue an injunction to prevent the development altogether, although this is usually in extreme cases. For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ. To do this, you need to demonstrate that you’ve had uninterrupted access to that light in a particular area of your home over a number of years. Even if the hedge is blocking light there may be other factors that mean the council doesn't issue a High Hedge Notice, for example: if trees are sheltering listed buildings Practical Actions: Make friends, not enemies. The wall of the extension comes within a couple feet of my boundary fence. There should also be a council leaflet available on how to object. building a fence or other alternative idea to block out the light might cost you more, especially if your only purpose would be for shutting out the light ... We are mostly worried about it overshadowing us and blocking light to the back of our house and garden (we like to spend time in the garden) particularly as it will be to the South/West of the house. Call the planning office and talk to them, you may well get an indication of how favorably they're viewing this. If not, then it may need to be removed. But did you know there … Usually you and other neighbours will receive notification from your local council telling you that someone has submitted a planning application and giving you the right to object. The full application can be viewed online on the local authority planning page, together with updates on the decisions made by the planning officer as to whether planning has been granted or refused. Can one of your planning experts give me a steer as to the most important factors planners take into account. I only know very little about planning and building regs approval, but how could they get away with this? Why do some neighbours object to home extensions? Overgrown trees can cause friction between neighbours, particularly when it impacts on light into your garden. I can highly recommend him.”, Woodcocks Haworth and Nuttall is a trading name of WHN Solicitors Limited which is a company registered in England and Wales with number 11177391. It details the maximum that they will normally agree to for a praticular type of property and rules about distances from existing windows etc. No best answer has yet been selected by Choc Drop. When we returned, we saw that the extension had gone up, crossing 1 ft onto our land, had moved our fence and taken some of our driveway. If you know that a planned development might restrict your right to light – even after planning permission has been granted – you can still oppose it. We emphasised this. 811803. My neighbour is planning an extension. The neighbours are having their old bathroom knocked down and replaced with a new one with the floor at the same height as the kitchen, and the roof starting a lot higher up the house. Do I have any rights? 646807 © AnswerBank Ltd 2000 - 2021. It will cause a 2 storey brick wall to be built approx 3 metres from our kitchen window. My new neighbour moved in this weekend and has said that he intends to build a fence between his and our gardens to ensure privacy. We are planning to go to Citizens Advice too, to see where we stand. A party wall act could be drawn up (and paid for by your neighbour). If you can get your parish council on-board to object  that can be very powerful. You may want to try to organise this visit for a time when it is clear how the hedge is blocking out light. If they do decide that your neighbour's hedge is blocking out light, they will issue them with a 'remedial notice', or a 'High Hedge Notice' in Scotland, which will outline what needs to be done and the timeframe. The land encroachment may also become an issue when you want to sell, so take this opportunity to fix it. It would have needed building regulation permission but this does not control who's land it is built on. The right to light is an objective test, i.e. If you know that a planned development might restrict your right to light – even after planning permission has been granted – you can still oppose it. Unfortunately, if the room you believe will have it's light restricted in has more than one window, then it is unlikely that planning permission will be refused for that reason. Right to Light Matters for Neighbours to Developments You bought your home because of its lovely, light, airy room. The neighbour's original planning permission was refused but he had revised plans drawn up which meant the extension … They were granted permission but were told not to build the garage as it would block all my … Sorry, we can't find any related questions. best thing to do that wont cost too much until it is permanently fixed is to invest in good blackout drapes and or some sleep eye mask. An extension was built to the house before by the previous owners, this was done while we were away on holiday. Objecting to neighbours extension plans. Your Duke Energy light is more likely 50 watts, as 50 lumens would be very dim. Restricting light Any kind of development can potentially block the light coming into your home, including a neighbour’s extension, new shed, garden wall, or part of a new housing development. in luck. by The Party Wall Surveyor. Any comments would be appreciated. The only thing the planners will consider is whether the extension will cause a loss of light or sunlight which would be cause adverse amenity to your neighbour. Q. The hedge is 40-50ft long and they are now claiming the first 20ft must be removed as its blocking light into one of the windows on thier extension. Good luck. Hayley Wharton explains your rights. If these lights were installed as street lights, there is no recourse other than tall trees. A frequent source of neighbour disputes involving tree branches is that they block off natural light and you should carefully check your deeds to find out if they contain a specific right to light. What would be the cost of moving the dish? Surely, they can’t do this? Thanks again for the info. Go to the Citizen's Advice Bureau and get info on complaining about the origional extension and immediately object to the new application for permission.