The Boy on Top
If you feel vindictive of course you can put in a formal complaint about the lead planner. Nothing will end up happening but you'll give him a nasty time for a while.
The planners south of London (north too for all I know) are weird. I know someone living in a converted old (listed) barn with an existing modern extension with a windowless loft. They were refused permission to put skylights in the loft, but allowed to extend the extension. The skylights would have been invisible to anyone because of the way the land lies, but the extension is not. What kind of sense does that make?
A letter from a solicitor claiming you are investigating the rejected plans were part of a "personal favour" to a friend of the chief planner should result in a pretty quick review of your case.
Dig your digging turn up and actual proof of what happened?
go to appeal: there is no right to a view in planning law. You'll win.
Yes, the neightbour thing is completely unsubstantiated other than coming from a trusted source. Very much doubt it could be proved.
I'm trying to find a solution that doesn't go to appear, we tried an appeal on the first rejected plan, and it was an expensive and time consuming process. With no logic whatsoever, the appeal officer rejected our position, rejected the council's position and came up with completely different ideas to reject us on.
There does appear to be very little logic to planning. When discussing what our options where, the planning officer proposed we extend the house at its full hieht (3 stories) and ditch the garage. The visual impact would be much much more (and we'd get far more internal space), but hey, they win by not allowing the garage.
Keep a record of all their feedback. My mother tried to get approval for changes to cottage in a historic part of Sydney (yes laugh you people in houses older than my country). Nevertheless, it was constantly rejected because of her dormer windows. Too many, too tall, too short, too wide, too squat, too short - it was madness, and the council office finally suggested a single clerestory window across the whole roof - like that's Victorian.
Finally they went before the full council and the architect - using an overhead projector - stepped through each amendment with the heritage officer's feedback until, to ammend the final comment, they arrived back at the original drawing.
Council passed the plans unanimously.
Of course it took them a year, so maybe you should buy your neighbour a new car as a hush gift.
Yes, wise advice. Probably be far far cheaper in the long run... TB
What a nightmare! If you really want to piss off your neighbor, host a fever-esque party. That could be a fun vendetta.
Or you could strut around naked. Mabye that would be more view than your neighbor would care for (if he / she is uptight as he / she sound to be!).
Best of luck!
Ha! That could be fun, but then we'd loose all our middle class respectibility. What would my fellow members of the village hall committee think? TB
Hmmm.... sounds like a veritable minefield. We're hoping to extend sometime soon but doubt we'll have many hurdles to jump over. Our area is neither beautiful nor outstanding and I think we're the only house in our small cul-de-sac without an extension of some description.
Good luck in finding a workable solution!
This is actually our second extention, which is probably part of the problem. The first, a conservatory, sailed through without any issue. If you don't already have anything added you'll likely be fine. TB
Don't you fancy the three-storey idea? Might support your resale value more than a garage? You would probably get it through partly because they'll feel they owe your architect one, especially if you get him to tell them that he brilliantly managed to restrain you from going to the local press and your local councillor with the undue influence allegation. (In my story about the barn above, the approved version was the one suggested by the planning officer after their first application was turned down).
Of course, you'd then have to find a builder.....
Don't get me started on builders. I can bore for Canada on builder problems... TB
You definitely aren't middle class if that's any consolation. Middle class people can spell the word 'lose'.
Ahh Prof. Razz, I've missed you. You got me, I am a fraud, a charlatan, a poor imigrant alien, trained in the experimental schools of the 70's in far off Canada. I am ashamed of myself.
Nah... not really. Wanna job as a editor? TB
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