Planning permission

[sherrardk]

Two questions really - how near to a boundary fence can someone build flats or a house? Also, do the council have to inform you in writing if someone has applied to build something up to your boundary, rather than just hoping that you will see any planning notices? (House that might have applied for planning permission is up a cul-de-sac so you wouldn't really walk past any planning notices.)

[WendyS]

I think the minimum gap has to be about a metre to allow access for maintenance, etc. If you lived next door to the proposed development you are supposed to be sent a planning notice but in many areas planning applications are now posted on the Council's Planning Department website so ring up your local council and ask whether they do this and if so, where on the site you can find it. . Also, if you live in a village-type area and your Parish Council has a notice board, you may well find a brief note of the planning application there.

[buildersmate]

From a Planning point of view, there is nothing to stop a development being requested (and granted) that goes right up to a boundary. Indeed I had a house where the garage was hard up against the neighbours plot and I had a right of access to their land to maintain it. However to make things easier, most Planning requests will leave a gap, not least because, from a Building Regulations viewpoint, foundations usually have to be wider than the wall they support and one can't build the foundations on another person's land.

The answer to the second part is as the posting above. Planning Applications must allow for consultation with impacted parties and as far as I know, this still means that those who have a boundary with the Applicant get notification by post.

[sarah_03uk]

I think our planning department also send out 'happy neighbour' letters to inform people in the surrounding area of any planning appliactions which may make an impact on the surrounding properties.