neighbour self notification, should I?

[Moonshine]

I am about to submit my planning application, and now i am really in two minds about if i do self notification of the application to the neighbours.

 

My first thoughts were that i would definitely go round to each neighbour just after the application was submitted to let them know that there was an application in, what it was, and how it would look, and give a bit of an explanation of the development. I thought that this was a better way than them just receiving a formal letter from the council or seeing a yellow notice.

 

My concern now is that by going round i might cause more issues / concern than if i hadn't.

 

I know that one neighbour will likely object, and i can kind of understand why, however i don't think that their objection is valid on planning grounds.

 

I have had a pre-app with the council who have been pretty positive about the proposals in their formal response, and not a huge amount has changed in the fundamentals of the pre-app scheme. Though i am not sure about some of the details and i won't know how they will react on those until the drawings are submitted.

 

I don't know the neighbours that well, and am not too concerned about on-going relationships, but i think its better to have a personal discussion before a formal notice (i know i would like that).

 

About 6 years ago when an similar type of application was submitted for the property before i owned it, there was only one objection, there hasn't been a huge change in neighbours since then so i don't think it is that contentious with the surrounding area (however that one was refused by the council).

 

Thoughts?

 

[Ed Davies]

It seems to me that people worry too much about objections. Having looked through the planning paperwork for a few sites for sale, OPP has been granted despite objections from neighbours on grounds which really weren't relevant to planning. So, unless you think they're likely to point out a planning aspect that the planners might otherwise miss or not prioritise I'd make the decision on whether or how to approach them based mostly on future relationships.

[Jeremy Harris]

I wrote to all the neighbours who were listed from a previous planning applications on our plot, introduced ourselves, made it clear that we were planning to build a home for ourselves, explained what we wanted to build and invited them to contact me directly if they had any concerns.

 

It worked pretty well in the main, and we had no official objections to our planning application.  I did have quite a bit of correspondence with some of the neighbours, most of it relating to concerns that weren't real.  Issues that were raised with me were things like overlooking, where a neighbour hadn't interpreted the elevations properly, concern over over-loading the sewer (we're no connected to it), problems with access in the narrow lane (addressed by making sure we kept people informed when big loads were arriving) etc.

 

The only slight problem we had was with one neighbour who kept asking me to change things, or do things for him "as I had a chap there doing work anyway", and in the end I fell out with him, and told him that I'd had enough.  To my surprise he grinned back at me and said something like "Well, it was good while it lasted".  His partner later apologised to me for him being so awkward, and explained that it was "just his way".  Not sure what she meant, really, but I did feel that I'd made a bit of a rod for my own back by trying to be so cooperative with him.

[Moonshine]

18 minutes ago, Ed Davies said:

unless you think they're likely to point out a planning aspect that the planners might otherwise miss or not prioritise I'd make the decision on whether or how to approach them based mostly on future relationships.

 

i actually think this sum's it up, and tbh i am not too concerned about objections as i think that the planners generally support the scheme (during a phone call i had with the planner, they said the proposals were miles ahead of anything that had been proposed for the site in the past), and there isn't too much that could have valid objections as we have tried to design them out. That being said i am sure that something will get brought up.

[Jeremy Harris]

My concern wasn't about valid objections, as I was pretty confident that there most probably wouldn't be any, but the objection trigger point bothered me.  Here, if more than (I think) eight objections are filed the application automatically gets referred to the planning committee, and cannot be decided by the planning officer.

 

That changes the game from being one where all you need to do is show that there's no valid planning policy reason to refuse to give consent, to a political game where you have virtually no way of being able to influence the outcome.

[ToughButterCup]

1 hour ago, Moonshine said:

I am about to submit my planning application, and now i am really in two minds about if i do self notification of the application to the neighbours.

[...]

 

Do so by all means. But  first arm yourself with the resources contained in this post.

 

Now (not back then) I agree entirely with Ed

 

47 minutes ago, Ed Davies said:

It seems to me that people worry too much about objections. [...]

 

I have noticed that people who own houses often think the have some sort of say over the land they can see. They don't. But, like the objector in our application when, at the Parish meeting,  I suggested that our application could not be considered on the basis of what our house might be used for

 

A Councillor gave herself of these immortal words,

 " Aaah'll speek me mind and there's nowt ye can do abart it mert....: it's gunna be a retarment 'ome , tha's innit ter mek munney"

 

SWMBO got her stiletto into my foot before I could open my mouth (again) . Lucky that. Bless 'er.

[Hecateh]

I told my neighbours first, all except one who I rarely saw and his wife more or less ignored me in the street.  Mumbling a reply to my hello without looking at me.

 

They all objected to the planning but none of their objections was valid because they were basically about their issues with the building process causing problems as I am on quite a narrow cul de sac.  The new build is in my garden and I have lived here longer than any of them (I know that is not relevant  )

 

They caused problems all the way through the build wanting to come in and out whenever I had a delivery.  We had half a dozen council visits due to complaint, each time the officer was fine and accepted that some disruption.  It didn't stop them phoning again.

 

They would shout and swear at any trades and were a total pain.  I asked them at the beginning if I could have a mobile number of email so I could let them know when there was likely to be an issue - during concrete pours for example.  They wouldn't give me any details.  To start with I would take a letter to each of the 3 houses whenever there was something major planned but then when the concrete pour was 4 hours late they were still complaining so I just gave up and let them get on with it.  

 

More or less done now so things have calmed down.  I don't really see any of them now unless we happen to cross in the street.  Despite them being absolute 8^*&^s I say 'hi' if our paths cross and I have taken in a parcel for the loudest of them.  In the long run, we have to share a street and though I don't want to be 'friends' with any of them neither do I want to be enemies.  I live alone and am in my 60's - I need to feel that in an emergency (and it would have to be an emergency) I could call on them for help and I can't do that if I keep ignoring them.  

 

They are not important enough for me to waste time having bad feelings about them.