Buffer Zones

[Paul90]

Hi guys and girls,

I have come here for advice regarding buffer zones on new developments as there is a very large development planning to surround me!

I have two questions really:

1) I live at the end of a road, instead of a typical cul-de-sac the road just ends and the houses are completely parallel. After the road is a pretty farmers meadow that is due to have 100+ houses by continuing the road. In my garage I have a large standard window (2400x1200mm?) that looks over this meadow. How close to this window can they build a house?

2) To the rear I have a ca. 1 acre garden with a boundary roughly 90m from my back door. They want to put a large spine road here, single lane with lots of space for HGV's. How close to my boundary can this road go?

Kind Regards

 

[SimonH2]

AIUI :

1) On the boundary
2) On the boundary

They cannot put or do anything on or over your property without your permission, but you have not "right to a view".

The ONLY way to guarantee a view is to own the land that the view is over.

 

[Paul90]

Hi thanks for your reply but I am not sure what to make of it since I know for a fact they cannot build a brick wall in front of an existing window.

 

[SimonH2]

Actually there is a thread in here complaining about just that - the response was ... tough.

As part of the planning, the effects on neighbours will be considered, and they may well have to avoid blocking light from your existing window. However, there is nothing fundamentally stopping them building a wall so you have a view of a load of bricks 6 foot away.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Wasn't the view more like 6" away, in the situation I think you're thinking of - posted a few months ago?

IIRC the guy's house was right on the boundary, and then they built right next to it. But didn't it turn out that he'd put the window in hoping it would stop them building?

Can't find the topic....

 

[Paul90]

The developers had a public meeting some time ago, I brought up the matter of the window with the architect and he suggested that the regulations prevented them building within 12 metres of the window provided it had been there some years. He didn't seem too sure regarding the distance, and I didn't necessarily trust him so I wanted a second opinion really

 

[tony1851]

they cannot build a brick wall in front of an existing window.

Yes they can; and why bother if it's only a garage window ffs!!!

 

[Paul90]

they cannot build a brick wall in front of an existing window.

Yes they can; and why bother if it's only a garage window ffs!!!

No they cannot; it infringes my right to light.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Have you been there 20 years or more?

Do you know that they are going to build something which will reduce the amount of natural light entering the garage by too much?

Do you know if the "R-T-L" applies to garages?

Do you have the funds to take the developers to court?

 

[tony1851]

they cannot build a brick wall in front of an existing window.

Yes they can; and why bother if it's only a garage window ffs!!!

No they cannot; it infringes my right to light.

Try telling a county court judge that your garage has a right to light!

Aside from that, what would society regard as more important - your view of a 'pretty meadow', or 100 new homes for people?

 

[cjard]

That's the thing with buying a house on the edge of town. . One day it isn't the edge of town any more. People just keep on having children don't they?

 

[SimonH2]

That's the thing with buying a house on the edge of town. . One day it isn't the edge of town any more.

Not only that, but when the edge of town you moved into was being built, the locals probably moaned about losing their views over open fields. Now the people who moved into that new edge of town are complaining about losing their views over green fields.
I noticed this in an episode of The Planners on TV. There was a planning application in for just what's described, one of the planning officers went for a site visit, and got a right earful off the local residents who had moved into exactly the same sort of new development a few years earlier.

Sorry, but it's hard to have sympathy for some people.

My parents have a nice view out over fields, and there were repeated applications to build on the land - each turned down, principally for being outside the local plan. When the field directly behind came up for same, the owners on that side of the street clubbed together to buy it - because that's the only way to prevent building on it. The assumption was that sooner or later, someone would "know the right people" and get permission.