Neighbours requested time constraint.

Hey chaps.

I have currently got a planning application in for a loft conversion.

I have just checked on its status and for an comments and noticed my neighbour (attached side) has written a letter to the council asking for a clause to be put in if it gets accepted for work to only be carried out between 8am to 5pm Monday to Friday.
To me, this seems very unreasonable. Bearing in mind a lot of it will be carried out as diy, during the week I like to do work up until around 7pm but stopping any stupidly noisy work at 6.
Then I like to work at least one day at the weekend. I never start before 9 on a Saturday and 10 on a Sunday.

Just wondering where I stand with this, are the council likely to actually put this clause in or would they think it’s silly?
They’ve not contacted me about it.


Thanks guys.
Sorry, this turned into a bit of a rant

Time constraints can be included as a condition, they are common in London.

Im not sure if the planning officer will add a condition just because a neighbour asks.

It's possible but reasonableness would be questionable.

The council would need to slap that condition on every loft conversion and extension application or receives for it to be reasonable.

Meanwhile, you can happlily carry on with any non- loft conversion work (putting up shelves, replacing floorboards, roof tiling, knocking out doorways etc) evenings and weekends.

For a domestic planning application, a condition such as that would be unreasonable.
In practice, it is an environmental health issue, whereby the proper course for the neighbour would be to complain to the
EH dept. of the council if the noise was excessive or at unreasonable hours.
If such a condition was added, how would the planning department respond if the work was done at weekends or up to 7pm? Declare the extension unlawful?

Thanks chaps.

So what am I best to do, ignore what I’ve seen or should I write some kind of letter against it?

Cheers

https://www.woking.gov.uk/environmental-services/pollution/construction-site-noise-control

I think it's fair enough to ban noisy building work outside certain hours.
My new neighbours had a team of builders who ignored the rules and would use diggers at 7 am, all weekend, and at one point three blokes wearing head torches were building a close boarded fence (with hammers) at 10. Pm

Now that is unreasonable. Just like being asked to only work Monday to Friday 8-5!

Have a look at any other similar schemes in your area that have been granted pp, see if anything about work times has been attached as a condition.
If not then low odds it'll appear on yours but a chat with your neighbour about what they perceive the problems being will help long-term...and then try not to take the mick (hacking masonry on the party wall at 7pm or on a Sunday would be rude, screwing plasterboard or cutting insulation less so)

Ring the planning dept and tell them you have seen the neighbour's comments and discuss it .

And point out that you will be following the noise act as should they.

They should expect noise from time to time and that you are entitled to make it from 7AM to 11PM so your stated times are perfectly reasonable for you to make
for a reasonable amount of time that it takes you to DIY a loft conversion.

Mattylad everyone is different and has a different fuse length! if my neighbours were building and banging after 7pm and anytime sunday I personally would be banging on their door, but that's just me and I don't make other people listen to me at those hours also. Its called respect!

mattylad said:

And point out that you will be following the noise act as should they.

They should expect noise from time to time and that you are entitled to make it from 7AM to 11PM so your stated times are perfectly reasonable for you to make
for a reasonable amount of time that it takes you to DIY a loft conversion.

Click to expand...

Wouldn't 11pm be a bit excessive? One could understand - say 7-8 pm-ish in summer - particularly if OP had a normal-hours daytime job, but 11pm? Hmmm..........

mattylad said:

They should expect noise from time to time and that you are entitled to make it from 7AM to 11PM

Click to expand...

where does that come from It would depend on the level of noise as to whether it could be considered a nuisance to the neighbours.

Some London councils have rules/guidelines about acceptable noise from building/diy work.
Check your council website.

Its the noise act - the law.
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1996/37/contents

It is stated somewhere (generally on all goverment/council sites relating to neighbourhood noise) that you can expect your neighbours to make noise from time to time, the permitted hours as laid down by the noise act 1996 are 7AM to 11PM, outside those hours and it is a nuisance but even then only if it is an unnecessary and continuous thing (I don't mean continuous noise, I mean duration).
If you spend a week doing some DIY and are working during the times the Op has stated then thats not going to get any action from the council.

Emergencies for example, where noise must be made to repair break ins, remove floorboards to get at leaks etc. are not something thats going to happen often and not likely to be outside the law.
If the OP was to be banging and drilling all day & every day then that would be considered a nuisance, however the occasional DIY and at the times the Op has stated are not.

Unless the local borough has bylaws that say different.

Read the Mid Sussex leaflet on noise.
https://www.midsussex.gov.uk/media/1750/noisy-neighbours-leaflet.pdf

Also they will require the complainant to record the noise times and levels for about 2 weeks. The Op could be finished before then.
Obviously let the neighbours know that you are going the be doing some noisy DIY and try to keep the loudest noises to during the normal working hours, do minor works later such as electrical, plastering, painting/decorating etc.
Leave the SDS for earlier.

Whilst the person making noise does have to be reasonable about it, the other party also has to be reasonable and a restriction on someone who can only DIY after work for a few hours and is stopping at 7PM is certainly unreasonable. Have they never had a party or made noise themselves throughout their life?

If I was doing some DIY and someone banged on my door at 7pm or on a sunday they would be given some strong words that include off, we can't all pay for workers during the day nor comlete a task in a few minutes after coming home from a days work.

Sundays are no longer a day of rest for all, some of us have to work them and others have to complete their DIY tasks on them.