Neighbours

When you plan for an extension you may find that some of your neighbours will try to block your proposals. Our neighbours that are next to our side plot and about a metre below us tried every trick in the book to block our extension. We saw solicitors letters about rights to light, rights to air, Party Wall Act and any other threat they could make to us.

My suggestion is to talk to your neighbours and see if they are reasonable, if they are then I am sure a talk will enable them to accept your intentions, however if they are unreasonable do not let them threaten you or make you think you cannot build your extension.

We got our planning permission in October 2010 and I have spent the last months arranging a Structural Engineer to design a foundation so that I know my extension will not affect my house or my neighbours, I used a Lab to analyse the soil so that I knew the plasticity and could establish what depth of foundation I would need. In my opinion I went beyond the level required to make sure I have a safe build.

My neighbours are still threatening us with legal action over the Party Wall Act and I believe think they can block our works even though they cannot. The Planning Permission means you can build and they have to over turn that if they want to stop my build.

So my advice is ignore neighbours if they are unreasonable and stay within the rules and carry on.