Neigbours Running A Business Without Planning Persmission

[sue11]

Hello can anyone provide me with some advice regarding a neighbour who has set up a sawmill business which is making noise?
We live in a semi rural area and our new neighbours moved in to the house which was residential, a couple of years ago. They have since turned an garage outbuilding into a small house (which they are letting out), built another large outbuilding which overlooks our property and has now started to run the sawmill business from it, all without any planning permission.
We have spoken to our neighbours some months ago about the house and the large outbuilding and he informed that us he had put in planning permission at least for the converted house (he has not done so) and the outbuilding was just temporary to store machinery, which he did not need any planning consent for, this is where the sawmill business is now operating from.
He has just lied to us each time we have asked him, so I feel if we talk to him again about the sawmill, we will just get more of the same.

The council have been to visit our neighbour and they have told me that the neighbours are in the process of talking to planning consultants. This was about 2 months ago.
But the council are being very evasive about giving out any further information to me.
Does anyone have any idea of the timeframes for this kind of consultation, if the council will give them a deadline to apply for planning permission and what kind of rights we have as the aggrieved party if any?

[Paigntonian]

Talk to your local councillors rather than contacting a bureaucrat at the council.

[bednobs]

for once i agree with paigntonian - our local ward councillor was incredibly helpful when we were stuck in planning hell!

[sue11]

Thanks for the responses so far, this is something we will look at doing if there is no resolution soon.

[Peter Pedant]

Point out to the councillor that PP has not been granted yet and you wish to make representations
can he tell you what is going on

planning applications are NOT privagte matters

[bednobs]

^^^ or she :)

[Buenchico]

With regard to timeframes, it might well depend upon how compliant your neighbour will be when given notice to cease the use of the sawmill, and possibly to demolish some of the building, which he almost certainly will be. Robert Fidler was given notice to demolish his house in 2015 but famously hung on for 7 years before finally doing so:
https://www.thesun.co.uk/money/property/19034937/demolished-castle-surrey-farmer-robert-fidler/

I agree with Paigntonian (which is probably a first!) here. Councillors, rather than council officials, can be incredibly helpful. For example, despite me telling them about a change in my circumstances, my local council gave me a 100% Council Tax reduction throughout a full financial year but then, when they realised that they shouldn't have done, billed me for the full year in one, with no option to pay in instalments. When I protested to my local councillor, she got the entire year's Council Tax bill totally written off for me!

[Peter Pedant]

erm or she - or the trans gender person
can we keep to the subject please ( god how can I say that?)
and recollect in Law The he-she law says that he can be a she

[Ellipsis]

> this is something we will look at doing if there is no resolution soon

Do it now. This link will help you to find your local councillors.

https://www.gov.uk/find-your-local-councillors

[sue11]

Many thanks all, just looked up the councillor, it looks as if his appointments are on planning committees, so I will get in touch with him. Hopefully if it is his area of expertise, he will be able to help.
Many thanks
Sue