ToughButterCup

Well @oxo, looks like you got your answer. Yes, appeal A quick canter through some of the reasons you should do so: COVID and no visit. - Pure tosh. Are they saying they can't jump in a car and visit cos of C-19? Sorry, that's convenient lazy-arsed b0ll0cks. Inspectors are at this very moment cruising the country on Inspection visits and have been throughout. Lazy, lazy lazy argument. out of character - no site visit hmmmm, how can a reasonable judgement be made if no site visit ? limits (to) size and space - tell me where those measures are limitless... do an accurate comparison of yours vs other locals, and suggest a compromise in %age terms. Skin the cat differently. Ignore local objectors. Develop a thick skin. In the words of one contibutor Stuff Em. Local comparisons: your post earlier today, excellent - the start of an evidence base: now go and get 3 more. Document them carefully. Present them well. Presentation and accuracy are key - the reputation of any Planner you employ should be based on results, and not local lore. Look at the decisions he / she wrote and analyse them carefully. You need concise, punchy, accurate attention to detail. Not reputation. Time to change Planner? Dont make yourself an easy target. Know the guts of all the local decisions in similar properties- yep, hard work. But the exercise will repay the effort. Know why applications were refused, and why they succeeded. Take @MikeSharp01's idea and run with it. It'll give the thing an interesting twist: sustainability / green agenda. Did I mention, develope a thick skin? Oh yeah..... sorry. Worth saying again. Persistence. Ian

I am aware that , for good reason, you might not want to, but could you give us a map? A Google map would do, please.

Bosch GTX 10 XC. Because I'm a Bosch, and lack imagination. Vorsprung durch Selbstbau.

Here's the starts to a plan of attack: 1. ... An 'overdominant rear extension failing to respect the character and appearance of the subject property' , does not deny you the chance to make an extension that isn't over dominant. What is meant by over dominant? Its either dominant or not. Over dominant means - to me - the author isn't quite sure of him(?)self. Chink of light already. '...would adversely reduce the size of the garden and affect the existing sense of openness....' Any extension reduces the size of any garden and always of necessity reduces openness. I smell weakness in the agument application site is constrained by containing a narrow, irregular rear garden compared to other buildings. Is this correct? In percentage terms, how correct is the author? If for example you garden is 20% smaller - would a 20% small extension help things? the result of which would be a cumulative harm to the character and appearance of the conservation area. So is the argument that yours is the straw that breaks the Camels back? If so , BINGO. Principle of Consistency applies (more on that later - just got in from work, knackered) 2 How correct is this as the additional bulk would result in a two storey height flank wall on the boundary of a public footpath, which would create an oppressive sense of enclosure to the route, that the existing set back respects. Look for local precedent: Argue along the lines you allowed this here, here and here so why not now. Principle of Consistency applies 3 Same argument as 1 above More particularly, the depth and bulk of the first floor level extension and its close proximity to neighbouring residential properties, results in an overbearing and dominating effect for the residents Can you reduce the depth and bulk? Map? Plan? so we can help more. Sorry this is a bit hasty - in a rush. Regards, Ian

Right. Now we can do something about it.... I'm on a phone browser, let me switch to a decent machine....

Ah Choice Theory. Love it. Quite close in some ways to the notion of heating a house and how warm people feel. All over the house it's a balmy 21 - 22 "I'm cold" comes the plaintive cry. Oh fer gaaauuuud's sake, how much effort did we put in to making sure the undefloor heating stabilised at 20 - 22 . When the FRIGGIN THEORY was based on male perceptions of warmth . Rational Actors indeed.

They're not paying for it @jack, the customer is. Selfbuild is Self-interest writ large. Trades have zero incentive to save on materials. Unless intelligent engagement with the whole build kicks in. How many of us here have - on our own sites - been horrified at the waste, ullage, overage, call it what you will on-site? On ours, I nearly decked one oaf for simply destroying 7 or 8 Durisol blocks. That bit of vandalism caused the loss of £1000 worth of concrete. I've already explained how we adjusted for that bit of rank stupidity...

His technique was cheaper, and altogether simpler. Build a BFO wall. Buy and deploy a big BFO Rhodesian Ridgeback, and make and hang pair of BFO steel gates.

There's no place for emotion on this... let's focus on facts. What does the decision notice say?

All credit to you for having that approach. Knowing why you are not doing what you and others might reasonably expect you to do is challenging, healthy and stops the '.... Why didn't you do it like this ? ...' question dead in its tracks For what its worth, my stock answer to that - often ill-intentioned - question is ' Because I'm not you ' (and add whatever epithet needed to get rid of my annoyance under my breath) Often TFFT. ? Wecome . Ian

That word: says it all. I have a great deal of sympathy for all concerned in this sorry matter. Many factors have contibuted to an entirely unsatisfactory outcome for all. The root of it: mis-handled micropolitics, I think

Stuff the objections. Seriously, stuff em. The only thing that matters is the Decision Notice. Address the issues listed there, and you stand a chance. Post the Decision Notice would you please (copy / paste). Thanks

Nearly. During that period, the caravan became a house. So the owner shot himself right in the 10 Year Rule (see below) The Notice is merely quashed. And Earlier the Inspector commented: Ah, thank the Good Lord for the 10 year rule, eh? I think I agree Ian. He is also, pending the outcome of that process, able to submit another Planning Application. But this time, I have a strong feeling that the Enforcement is likely to be as water-tight as @pocster's glazing or @Onoff's shower tray. In other words, he won't be able to live in the field in anything pending a successful planning application. The excellent thing about this decision is that the owner has had to allow the Inspector to have access. We now - six years later - know exactly what is there. And we know what truth claims were made about what is on the field.

Yes @ProDave it is a different technicality. One brought about by the time it took for the wheels of the LPA to grind. I have a significant level of sympathy with the LPA and the person applying for PP. The orignal refusal of PP seemed to me to be spurious: there's that bit of Appeal-based legislation which says that decisions must be consistent. 25 meters North of this person's land is my place, and from the documentation, it seems that mine is more 'visible' than his planned house , yet he was refused. Micropolitics in play there, I suspect. And what does the LPA do about someone who is prepared to destroy the caravan they bought by building a house inside it? I mean thats the kind of thing @pocster would do innit?

Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin. This is worth the read, it'll put a smile on your face. Remember yer man who hid his house behind bales and then took the bales away revealing a palladian mansion with all the bells and whistles? Well this is the West Lancs version of that. Humble, gritty, adds a few interesting twists - but essentially the same. Sit tight. Full references at the end. Not 25 yards away from our site lies a caravan in a field. Not any old caravan: a transforming caravan, a magic caravan which used to be one, but now isn't. How do I know? The Inspector (very nice man) says so ( '...on the balance of probabilities ...' ). The occupier of the caravan in the field applied for PP, failed, appealed, failed, got an Enforcement Notice for his troubles , appealed and well - judge for yourself. He was living in the caravan pending the award of planning permission: but that was denied at Appeal. The ensuing Enforcement Notice was also Appealed but that Appeal was quashed. But why? Well, what used to be a caravan isn't one any more. Ya wot? See, he blocked it out FROM INSIDE. Built some foundations, and blocked the thing out from inside. Built a bathroom living room and kitchen. But for all the world, it looks like a caravan. Except in winter when you can see it better (no leaves) The bog window is now filled with breeze blocks, the bottom of the caravan sports - you guessed it - breeze blocks. Try towing the caravan and '... in fifteen seconds ...' this caravan would self destruct. So its now a wee hoos ( as @ProDave and the Scottish brethren would say). And since the LPA didn't demonstrate the Enforcement Notice was quashed. So, to sum up, what was at one time a caravan ( using the legal definition of a caravan) was made into a house during the 5 or more years that this little saga has been going on. Moral? If ya can't take a joke don't ........ https://acp.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/ViewCase.aspx?Caseid=3241296&CoID=0

Any number of them here

Screws are bigger in Lancashire.

The thing about having male children visiting the site is that the phrase; "Got a (...) old fella ? " means that, in the next few minutes petty larceny is likely. Yes @JFDIY , many of my key - precious even - tools are partly painted in lurid, embarrassing colours, or wrapped in electrical tape. That reminds me, the site hoover is still Missing Presumed Dead, as is my Birmingham Screw Driver, ( crowbar) and several screwdrivers- you know the ones you've carefully stolen from other sites.

How are you with the noise of half a dozen ducks pecking the weed off the water line at 5 in 't morning?

Duhhhhh... Slaps own face hard many times. Warra friggin eejit, wood, trees etc. Thanks @JFDIY

Yeah, ? that's right - I can hardly feel string wrapped round my left hand : and wierdly, the string that I can feel when its wrapped round my fingers, feels like it's on the back of my hand . Thats because they took the skin off the back of my hand and wrapped it round the stump(s) and glued the skin to my palm. I genuinely have hairy palms.

Thats me told then innit ? I'd hate to make that @Russell griffiths angry..... What a bloody good idea @Vijay . Thanks.

| have yet to find a way of sorting this out ..... all you experienced builders will have sorted it won't you ? Somehow? Cheaply, quickly, easily? I find myself using the chalk line when I don't need to use it simply because its easy to use and much easier to store . I am ashamed to say that, on a few occasions now when the tangle is too creative, I just order a new line . Anyone found an easy quick way of storing builders' line?

I found that the light from the rocker switch on a standard socket is enough for that job .... Needs to be ON, though I found ?

Thats what I wanted to hear, and thanks for the nudge @Temp It's on a switched fused spur of its own , so even I can operate safely. Now all I need is a bad weather forecast for a day. (Indoors Only jobs list) Thanks @dpmiller if only for the name to search for I mean who'd'a guessed DPST Illuminated Mains Rocker Power Switch indeed..... After I've fitted it, whassa chances she will take any notice of the red light being ON ? .... ?. Not going to stop me trying, though.