A Reddit user has been left fuming after a “shoddy” wall was built just five feet away from their window while they were away from home.
A photo shared on the forum shows mortar seeped out of the breeze block structure reportedly during construction of “luxury” dwellings next door.
Reddit user Fit_Farm2214 posted the picture as part of a post titled: “Came back home after a month to find a wall 1.5 m away from my window. How is that even legal?”
They commented: “The building is supposed to become ‘luxurious townhouses’. So far, they look tiny and poorly made.”
When the disgruntled Reddit user looked into whether the neighbour had planning permission for the build they discovered they had.
They commented: “The question now [is] whether it is [actually] up to spec. Unfortunately, if everything is exactly like in the plans, there is not much that can be done…
“The shoddy quality of work is another thing. I have seen them putting insulation in the cavity walls right before heavy rains.
“It wasn’t covered at all and soaked up all the water. They bricked it up soon afterwars. I feel sorry for the desperate people who will spend a fortune to live in this.”
Chartered town planner, Martin Gaine, from Just-Planning.co.uk, told Express.co.uk what the Reddit user and others who find themselves in a similar situation can do.
He said: “It seems odd that planning permission would be granted for buildings to be erected so close to a neighbour’s window.
“It may be that the council decided that your window is not an important one – that there are other windows to this room, or that the room it serves is not ‘habitable’ (that it is a bathroom, utility room or other room where people do not typically hang out).”
The Author of How to Get Planning Permission recommended getting to the bottom of why the scheme got the thumbs up and whether the council’s case officer took account of the impact on the window.
He said: “You can download the plans from the council’s website. Also take a look at the ‘officer’s report’, in which the case officer explains how they reached their decision. If you are having trouble working it out, contact the case officer or your local ward councillors.”
Mr Gaine said it is possible the developers are building closer to the window than they showed on their plans and if you suspect they are breaching planning permission, to contact the council’s planning enforcement team.
He added: “If the application has been granted permission, and the developers are complying with that permission, I’m afraid there is not much you can do. The only way to challenge a planning permission is through a judicial review to the High Court…
“In general, it is a good idea to keep an eye out for planning applications in your area that might affect you. When a planning application is received, the council has an obligation to notify close neighbours so that they can comment.
“It is important to object if you feel that a proposal might cause you harm (for example, in terms of losing light or privacy). If you are unsure of what exactly is proposed or how you can respond, speak to the council case officer to get some help.”
