roofing glare cock up

[dnoble]

I am building a timber framed passive house.

 

I initially planned to put black fibre cement roofing on it (architect's suggestion as a low cost material)

I couldn't find a contractor to do this within the time-frame so I decided to use matt black plastisol coated box profile steel which looks very similar and is widely used in other counties (Shetland, Iceland Australia etc)and I could install it myself. 

 

I did contact to planning officer who said as long the energy efficiency wasn't impaired this should be fine. 

I due to inexperience really, I assumed this meant I could retrospectively apply for a change, whereas I was supposed to re-apply with the new material and get it discharged.

 

What's happened since installing them is that a neighbour (who objected to the house-build initially and is vehemently opposed to it) is complaining that there is glare from the sheets in bright sun into his garden. 

To be fair there is some glare at certain times of the day. 

He knows this is not the material I got permission for.

 

I'm really worried the PO is going to make me tear it all off and install the original sheets which will be very expensive in terms of labour, materials, scaffolding, removing + reinstalling solar panels etc.

 

I am in negotiations with the PO now about this. 

 

Can anyone advise on

1) Data about weathering and reduced shininess of black plastisol (can't find much online and manufacturing company couldn't help)

2) A coating that might reduce glare (am looking into bitumen roof paint, hammerite etc)

2) Planning law around neighbour's right not to have glare

 

I am going to plant screening trees but these will take a few years to block the view.

 

Many thanks in advance for any suggestions. 

I'm feeling pretty stressed about this after a run in with angry neighbour this morning!

 

 

[ToughButterCup]

Planners are used to this sort of hiccup.

Until you have a written instruction (not advice or a simple request) from the planner instructing you to take some action, do nothing. 

When you get a valid, legally enforceable instruction to change the roofing material, come back here and talk it through with us.

 

Until  then relax, pop down the pub, have a pint - and forget about it. Keep calm, carry on.

[dnoble]

Thanks Recoveringacademic. That's slightly reassuring. 

I suppose I'd like to know sooner rather than later if I'm going to have to remove it. I have scaffolding up costing 500 a month as it's overdue and if that's the likely outcome it'd be cheaper to crack on and change it now.

[MikeSharp01]

 

18 minutes ago, dnoble said:

I am in negotiations with the PO now about this.

Nothing to stop you applying for a retrospective change of materials, this may be a minor change - seems like the PO is already happy, so it won't go our for neighbour consultation. You always have the right of appeal anyway.

19 minutes ago, dnoble said:

black fibre cement

We are using tiles on our build so I hope I can find someone to fix them down for me! (Next door had some done a year or so back, although not jet black, and I have the name of the chap who did it!)

[Jeremy Harris]

Glare was a minor planning issue for us, as we have 25 solar panels on the South elevation, but the planner was happy because they were screened from the neighbour over the road to the South by a tall Leylandii hedge along his boundary with the lane.

 

The neighbour has since cut the hedge down, creating a privacy problem for me (which I've fixed by planting some fairly tall trees) but I've heard mutterings that the glare into his daughters bedroom window is very harsh.  He's not said anything directly to me, but I don't think he can do anything about it anyway, realistically.

 

In your case I'd ignore the neighbour and do as suggested above, apply for a retrospective change of materials.  I did this twice when things changed after we'd got PP, including changing the roofing material from Tata Urban steel sheet roofing to IkoSlates, and the planning officer treated it as a minor amendment both times

[Mr Punter]

Like most materials (and people), this will weather and dull with age.

[dnoble]

Hello Jeremy. 

 

That's interesting as one option I was considering was to cover this roof in solar panels(though it's NW facing)  on the assumption they absorb most of the light rather than refect it!

What trees did you plant out of interest?

 

In terms of applying for retrospective change aren't I on a bit of a sticky wicket if there's already a complaint in and I didn't follow procedure correctly?

[MikeSharp01]

2 minutes ago, dnoble said:

aren't I on a bit of a sticky wicket if there's already a complaint in and I didn't follow procedure correctly?

Nope - you are just following up the conversation you had with the PO and formalising the new material - most planners are quite used to people doing things a bit out of sequence, your neighbour is already on their radar as a bit of a problem and they want things sorted so putting in retrospective PP (minor change) is the line of least resistance for everybody.

[Ferdinand]

11 minutes ago, dnoble said:

Hello Jeremy. 

 

That's interesting as one option I was considering was to cover this roof in solar panels(though it's NW facing)  on the assumption they absorb most of the light rather than refect it!

What trees did you plant out of interest?

 

In terms of applying for retrospective change aren't I on a bit of a sticky wicket if there's already a complaint in and I didn't follow procedure correctly?

 

Solar panels are usually surfaced with a glass type surface, which is reflective.

 

As for trees, a bit of modelling on the appropriate website will give you some indication of which times of year there will be reflection, which could inform your need for deciduous or evergreen trees, or what variety of deciduous.

 

Personally I would be thinking in terms of something like birches or white beam or aspen  if you need deciduous, as they are not over large, are relatively unobtrusive, and have leaves which shimmer in the sun and may help dilute the reflection. And I like them.

 

Ferdinand

Edited August 31, 2018 by Ferdinand

[dnoble]

Thanks Ferdinand.

I'm also fond of Birch particulary.  There may be a issue with lack of leaves s enabling glare in the winter. .

I do have a directive to plant several replacement trees anyway to replace a couple of elderly apples I had to remove.

What's the appropriate website you mention where I could further investigate the heights, angles etc? 

It may be the winter sun then is low enough not to peep over onto the offending roof side.

[Ed Davies]

10 minutes ago, Ferdinand said:

Solar panels are usually surfaced with a glass type surface, which is reflective.

And the shallower the light hits the surface the more it's reflected. Straight on it's only about 10%, by the time it's 80° to the normal (10° to the surface) it's something like 60%.

[Stones]

@dnoble  Now that the Planning Authority (regardless of the complaint) are aware of the unauthorised roofing material, they will seek to regularise the development, either by way of an application (your Planning Officer will be able to advise you what sort of application they want - depends on whether they consider it a 'material' change) or if that fails, having the unauthorised material removed.  To compel you to remove the material they would have to serve an enforcement notice.  Have a read of the Planning Authority Enforcement Charter which should set out the process they follow.  

 

 

[Jeremy Harris]

1 hour ago, dnoble said:

Hello Jeremy. 

 

That's interesting as one option I was considering was to cover this roof in solar panels(though it's NW facing)  on the assumption they absorb most of the light rather than refect it!

What trees did you plant out of interest?

 

In terms of applying for retrospective change aren't I on a bit of a sticky wicket if there's already a complaint in and I didn't follow procedure correctly?

 

The solar panels have an anti-glare glass, but they still cause a fair bit of glare at times, not that you can see it from ground level.

 

The screening trees we planted were a couple of cherry trees, a couple of red flowering hawthorns, a couple of photinias, a whitebeam, a flowering crab apple, a bay tree and a fairly large olive tree.  This is what they looked like in March:

 

 

And this was taken in July (we've since added a close board fence along the top of the retaining wall at the back and around the garden, on top of the dwarf stone wall):

 

[Hecateh]

Mine are done in fibre cement and I find that they're shinier than expected.  I'm sure it will weather in though.