Neighbour has PP for 2 storey extension, we want to build one too...

greenfingers85

greenfingers85

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Hi all thank you for reading this.

I live in a semi-detached house. We have a 3 m side access in our garden between our house and the neighbour. We are looking to do a 2 story side extension on this 3 m stretch of land. However our neighbour already has a ground floor extension up to our border and they have 2-year-old planning permission to add a second story on top of this. They haven't started work on the second story or the rear extension which is also contained within this latest planning permission. And they haven't served us with any Party Wall agreement documentation yet, they are currently abroad and there is no sign of them returning to commence works at this point.

Having done some reading and spoken to a couple of builders I understand that we may have an issue here, as if we build up to the border this may cause of the so-called "terracing" effect.

I have read that this may result in us having to build 1 m off the border Or have the roof over the extension stepped down from our existing roof to show the difference between the 2 houses so they don't appear to merge.

Obviously we'd rather not lose 1 m of the width of the extension as this would almost impact the point of having the extension in the first place.

Does anyone have any knowledge or experience of our options in this case please with regards obtaining PP?

Many thanks!
 
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Are you taking about the neighbour you're attached to or the neighbour you're not attached to?
 
Sorry, thought that might cause a bit of confusion. It's the neighbour I'm not attached to - hence the 3m gap between our houses.
 
It is complicated and will depend on local planning policies, local planning history and the appearance and character of the area.
I had a similar project a few years ago.
Local planning policy required side extensions to be inset from side boundary and set back from front elevation. However the planning authority were consistently ignoring this and allowing two storey side extensions right up to the side boundary.

Pre-application advice suggested full width side extension would not be allowed. Planning application with full width extension was rejected. I went to appeal and cited 64 properties in the immediate vicinity with full width two storey side extensions many of which had been approved under the current planning policy. Thus showing that the policy was routinely being ignored by the planning authority and was therefore flawed and unenforceable. I also argued that as the majority of properties now had full width side extensions the avoidance of terracing was pointless as the streets had effectively become rows of terraced houses. We won.
 
Planners in this area sound the same as the post above. I'd get something drafted that sets the design of the extension back a bit but up to the boundary (or as far as possible without incurring overhang etc) and add any evidence of the rest of the street doing similar.
Your neighbour may have been lucky as they got in first of course! Officially the advice here is that single storey can go to boundary and above that it must be at least 1m from, but it's a total lottery
 
Also it helps if you step down the roof ridge and eaves to the side extension. That with the front elevation being stepped back gives a visual break to reduce the potential for terracing.
 
Thank you, both. Unfortunately there are no other houses in the road who have double storey side extensions. I will say, however, that our semi-detatched pair of houses are the only ones on our side. The rest on the street are a mixture of terraced, and then the house next to me with the pp , which is detached. Perhaps I will have a drive around to see if there are any local to me where two side extensions butt up to one another.

It doesn't seem fair that just because they got there first they get it and we don't...but I know that this is how life is sometimes...
 
Check your council's planning policy - that will tell you exactly how they treat building up to the boundary at first floor level.
 
Thank you. The policy advice goes against what they have already granted for our neighbour...
 
The last street I lived in had semi detached properties only separated by a few inches so as to give the impression the entire street was on big terrace.But as mentioned depends on council, you don’t share a party wall with the distance neighbour so no party wall agreed required.
 
Thank you. My understanding is that PW agreement requited as we are building within 3m of their boundary?
 
greenfingers85 said:
Thank you. The policy advice goes against what they have already granted for our neighbour...
Click to expand...
That's largely irrelevant to your situation.

But in context, most policies are to avoid terracing, and have suggestions on how this can be achieved - but these are not normally prescriptive. So, your neighbour's extension would potentially avoid terracing because of your gap. But yours will create terracing because of the neighbour's extension.
 
Yes, I thought as much. Again doesn't seem fair, but I know that doesn't mean anything to them.

We're going to explore the local area - found one pair of houses today that butt right up to one another with 2 storey extensions. Then I suppose the question us whether we just take a punt and put pp in with something like a stepped down roof to negate the terracing effect - and ask the q as to whether that's enough.

I know someone talked on here already about preplabbing advice, but I've been given mixed reviews - apparently here it isn't with a planner, but an administrator. And likely they'll be conservative anyway...

Oof, it's so disappointing really.

Thanks for the replies!
 
There are ways of avoiding the visual appearance of terracing using certain design features. You'll need a good experienced designer.
 
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