I hate my neighbour’s garden extension ‘monstrosity’ – he’s raised it & now my view is RUINED…but I’m getting my revenge --[Reported by Umva mag]

A NEIGHBOUR row over a garden ‘monstrosity’ has led to a property owner getting their revenge and the local council being forced to intervene. The backlash comes after a man elevated his garden by 23 inches, building an intrusive extension on the side of his property in Chapel Close, near Cardiff, south Wales. Not known, clear with picture deskThe raised platform reduces the privacy of those neighbouring the extension[/caption] RightmoveThe garden before the raised patio terrace was constructed[/caption] One woman told MailOnline how she was forced to plant evergreens in the hope of re-claiming some privacy following the outdoor construction. Not wanting to be named, she said: “I had to live through the noise and nuisance of the extension going up in my eye line, then he goes and ruins another neighbour’s privacy with this darned raised garden platform. “Fortunately it won’t bother me because I’ve planted all these trees to blot him out but I feel very sorry for the neighbours who are affected by the latest monstrosity he’s concocted.” Finally seeking revenge, the complaint seems to have led to action by the local authority. Vale of Glamorgan Council have demanded that the property owner reduce the height of the newly-constructed slope at the end of the garden. Their planning committee even heard how the height of the most intrusive aspect of land, had been increased by 600mm. The 1.2 metre tall raised level, significantly impacted the privacy of individuals living in the surrounding houses. Back in August 2023, officials made a visit to the problem address after a complaint. They calculated the new height of the land equated to the height of the fence being rendered to 1.2 metres from its original 1.8. The homeowner has since been slapped with an enforcement notice, requiring them to return the height of the garden to no more than 300mm above the original ground level. Despite the enforcement from the local committee, the homeowner refused to act on the advice which led to a hearing on September 26. Some critics slated the local council, comparing the Chapel Close development to a council development site at Llantwit Major. However, the latter was built to house Ukrainian Refugees under permitted development rights – used in an emergency and usually requiring permission within 12 months of starting construction. The council’s operational manager for planning and building control, Liam Jones, made a statement in dispute of the cynics. He said: “Here we have a situation where the homeowner has erected a surface that allows permanent direct overlooking into the neighbouring property. “I don’t propose to consider the merits of a different scheme considered by this committee, so we have to treat this on its own merit.” The council even dubbed the infringement on others privacy as “unacceptable”. A Vale of Glamorgan Council spokesperson told The Sun: “Every planning application is different with each considered on its merits. “In this case, it was decided that the development would involve and unacceptable loss of privacy for a neighbouring property so the application was rejected.” What are your rights over a fence row? IT'S very important to know your rights if you are embroiled in a fence row with a neighbour. How do I know which side I own? A boundary feature can be a fence, wall, hedge, ditch, piece of wire, or sometimes even just the edge of a driveway. The only way to know for certain who owns what side and to avoid any neighbour disputes, is to refer to the title plan or Land Registry. In this, the T mark is used to indicate who the boundary belongs to and therefore who is responsible for its upkeep, say pros at Jacksons Fencing. Larger developments tend to have some indication provided by the builder, but there are no hard and fast rules People often think they are responsible for the left (or right) hand boundary wherever they live, but there isn’t any legal basis for this. You can check with HM Land Registry to see which boundary feature you are responsible for. Often households can’t get hold of the paperwork but experts say they shouldn’t panic. Homeowners can guess who owns the fence by checking where the rails are. Pros say: “The fence is typically facing away from their property so that their neighbour gets the ‘good’ side. “This is the most secure way of facing fencing so there are no rails for anyone to use to climb into your garden. “This is then repeated with the neighbour on the other side to ensure that each home has both a ‘good’ and ‘bad’ fence side.” Walls and fences are often built on the land of the boundary’s owner with the edge of the wall marking the limit. While professionals agree a glimpse at the fence can give y

Oct 6, 2024 - 14:18

I hate my neighbour’s garden extension ‘monstrosity’ – he’s raised it & now my view is RUINED…but I’m getting my revenge --[Reported by Umva mag]

A NEIGHBOUR row over a garden ‘monstrosity’ has led to a property owner getting their revenge and the local council being forced to intervene.

The backlash comes after a man elevated his garden by 23 inches, building an intrusive extension on the side of his property in Chapel Close, near Cardiff, south Wales.

a black fence surrounds a backyard with a clock on the wall

The raised platform reduces the privacy of those neighbouring the extension[/caption]

a stainless steel grill is sitting on a wooden deck in a backyard

The garden before the raised patio terrace was constructed[/caption]

One woman told MailOnline how she was forced to plant evergreens in the hope of re-claiming some privacy following the outdoor construction.

Not wanting to be named, she said: “I had to live through the noise and nuisance of the extension going up in my eye line, then he goes and ruins another neighbour’s privacy with this darned raised garden platform.

“Fortunately it won’t bother me because I’ve planted all these trees to blot him out but I feel very sorry for the neighbours who are affected by the latest monstrosity he’s concocted.”

Finally seeking revenge, the complaint seems to have led to action by the local authority.

Vale of Glamorgan Council have demanded that the property owner reduce the height of the newly-constructed slope at the end of the garden.

Their planning committee even heard how the height of the most intrusive aspect of land, had been increased by 600mm.

The 1.2 metre tall raised level, significantly impacted the privacy of individuals living in the surrounding houses.

Back in August 2023, officials made a visit to the problem address after a complaint.

They calculated the new height of the land equated to the height of the fence being rendered to 1.2 metres from its original 1.8.

The homeowner has since been slapped with an enforcement notice, requiring them to return the height of the garden to no more than 300mm above the original ground level.

Despite the enforcement from the local committee, the homeowner refused to act on the advice which led to a hearing on September 26.

Some critics slated the local council, comparing the Chapel Close development to a council development site at Llantwit Major.

However, the latter was built to house Ukrainian Refugees under permitted development rights – used in an emergency and usually requiring permission within 12 months of starting construction.

The council’s operational manager for planning and building control, Liam Jones, made a statement in dispute of the cynics.

He said: “Here we have a situation where the homeowner has erected a surface that allows permanent direct overlooking into the neighbouring property.

“I don’t propose to consider the merits of a different scheme considered by this committee, so we have to treat this on its own merit.”

The council even dubbed the infringement on others privacy as “unacceptable”.

A Vale of Glamorgan Council spokesperson told The Sun: “Every planning application is different with each considered on its merits.

“In this case, it was decided that the development would involve and unacceptable loss of privacy for a neighbouring property so the application was rejected.”

What are your rights over a fence row?

IT'S very important to know your rights if you are embroiled in a fence row with a neighbour.

How do I know which side I own?

A boundary feature can be a fence, wall, hedge, ditch, piece of wire, or sometimes even just the edge of a driveway.

The only way to know for certain who owns what side and to avoid any neighbour disputes, is to refer to the title plan or Land Registry.

In this, the T mark is used to indicate who the boundary belongs to and therefore who is responsible for its upkeep, say pros at Jacksons Fencing.

Larger developments tend to have some indication provided by the builder, but there are no hard and fast rules

People often think they are responsible for the left (or right) hand boundary wherever they live, but there isn’t any legal basis for this.

You can check with HM Land Registry to see which boundary feature you are responsible for.

Often households can’t get hold of the paperwork but experts say they shouldn’t panic.

Homeowners can guess who owns the fence by checking where the rails are.

Pros say: “The fence is typically facing away from their property so that their neighbour gets the ‘good’ side.

“This is the most secure way of facing fencing so there are no rails for anyone to use to climb into your garden.

“This is then repeated with the neighbour on the other side to ensure that each home has both a ‘good’ and ‘bad’ fence side.”

Walls and fences are often built on the land of the boundary’s owner with the edge of the wall marking the limit.

While professionals agree a glimpse at the fence can give you a hint, it’s not foolproof – so you can’t be certain.

Fines and punishment

It is recommended to always check legal documents before making changes to avoid hefty fines.

There is no law that the neighbour has to get the good side of the fence, so it’s completely up to whoever owns the fence.

Fencing pros have suggested: “It may be worth selecting a double-sided panel with no ‘bad’ side as both sides look the same and rails are concealed within the fence panel.”

If one boundary backs onto a road or footpath you can install the panels with the rails on the inside

But if it’s installed on the outside, it can provide an “easy ladder for burglars to enter your garden”.

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and the Property Litigation Association have created a mediation service to help neighbours resolve disputes over their property boundaries without resorting to court action.

RICS also provides a list of surveyors who could assist in boundary disputes.

If a dispute continues, it is ultimately a court that makes decisions, but they do not like such disputes being put before them.

Changing a boundary

If you want to change an existing boundary, such as replacing an old fence with a new one, we always recommend discussing with your neighbour first and making sure it is all agreed.

The registered titles can help you to reach an agreement, but only if this information has been added.

In terms of decorations on a fence legal advisers recommended asking around over who actually first installed it.

But they also urged caution before getting to work on amending the fence without getting more certainty yourself – since there is a danger of actually being prosecuted for criminal damage.

How high can a garden fence be?

The height of the fence is measured from your ground level, this can have an impact when, due to slopes in the ground, your garden may be at a higher level than your neighbours‘.

A garden fence can be as high as 100m but you need to get planning permission if it’s over than 2m.

However, there are some complications to this.

If you are thinking about front garden fences, restrictions state that fences alongside a driveway can be a maximum of 1m or 3ft.

You would need to get planning permission for putting a trellis on a fence of 2m.

But, if any plant that you grow on that trellis exceeds 2m, you do not need to obtain a permit for the growing plant.

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