House extension completed but council threatening

[zack007]

H i everyone and apologies if this is in the wrong section.

 

Around June 2014 I completed an application to construct a single storey extension of (4.5 metres), extended the kitchen and making a shower room downstairs. The property also had a conservatory at the back but I was not sure if that was part of the original property so decided to complete the necessary forms and mentioned that the extension will start from the end of the kitchen and not from the end of the conservatory.

 

Once everything was approved I had a building inspector come down to my property and it was he who advised that according to the house plans the conservatory is part of the original property so you can start the extension from the end of the conservatory.

 

The extension has been completed, however not signed of by the building inspector as the shower room is not completed. Last week I had a letter from the planning enforcement officer and he said that your extension is 6.5 metre but we only allowed you to extend by 4.5 metre. I tried explaining that it was the building inspector that confirmed it was part of the original build.

 

He wasn't having any of it and sent me a picture of the conservatory from 2014, which I guess was taken from the building inspector that came down. He said the colour of the bricks don't match so it's not part of the building. The building inspector that first visited us has left the council.

 

He has given 2 options: either knock the building down by 2 metres or pay £385 for planning application but i think they are just trying to make money.

 

I would really appreciate if someone can advise on what I should do

[Michael Browne]

Once everything was approved I had a building inspector come down to my property and it was he who advised that according to the house plans the conservatory is part of the original property so you can start the extension from the end of the conservatory.

 

Any documentary evidence of this?

[zack007]

Hi,

No I wasn't given any documentation.

 

Since the extension had started until now I have had at least 4 visits by building inspectors.

[king12345]

Pay the £350 and forget about it.

In the grand scheme of things it's a small price to pay to avoid unnecessary confrontation.

The way I look at it when i price up a project is as follow:

Material+labour+admin all multiplied by 2 because of the inevitable coock ups

[zack007]

Hi,

Worst case scenario i'll pay up but they haven't been able to prove if the conservatory is part of the original building or not? apart from the photograph they took of the conservatory and they have said the bricks on the conservatory are not matching the original build.

I've had a look at the house plans and compare them to both neighbours and to me it seems the conservatory was part of the original build

[king12345]

Remember that building control has the final say on whether a structure complies with regulations.

They are extremely good at finding faults, sometimes very expensive to put right.

Unless you're prepared to pay a private building control firm which will cost more than £350, I can guarantee that they will cause problems because you're disputing their word.

In many years building I have come to the unfortunate conclusion that they're in charge and can seriously screw things up, so I decided to accept the fact that I cannot change this and the best thing to do is to keep them sweet.

Sometimes this costs a little money, but what's £350 in a £25/30K project?

[martin2006]

What are your options here zack?

 

1. Pay the additional fee and put this to bed, cost £385

 

2. Knock down and rebuild to 4.5 meters, cost £thousands!!

 

Its a no brainer, yes its gonna cost you £385 but thats the cost of not getting anything in writing from the initial inspector.

 

I think this is a bitter pill to swallow but i would just put it down to experience and move on, otherwise it could take over your life for years.

[zack007]

Thanks everyone yes its probably better to just get it over and done with and pay the £350 for the planning application.

The other thing they picked up on was the garden fence height is over 6ft. More than likely a mistake from my end as my garden was very very high and I had it dug up just over 3ft. So on my neighbours side the fence was 6ft but from my side it's like 9ft. So i'm hoping I can do one application rather than 2 separate ones

[Mr.P]

I've had a look at the house plans and compare them to both neighbours and to me it seems the conservatory was part of the original build

 

If the conservatory is shown on the plans from when the property was originally built, show them to building control and see what they have to say. BC may relent after seeing the drawings which would save you the hassle of retrospective planning permission and the fees involved.

[king12345]

Thanks everyone yes its probably better to just get it over and done with and pay the £350 for the planning application.

The other thing they picked up on was the garden fence height is over 6ft. More than likely a mistake from my end as my garden was very very high and I had it dug up just over 3ft. So on my neighbours side the fence was 6ft but from my side it's like 9ft. So i'm hoping I can do one application rather than 2 separate ones

 

Cut the fence to size with a circular saw.

2 minutes job.

[zack007]

Hi

Sorry it's not clear cut on the plan/map that I am looking at but my neighbour has a conservatory which was slightly bigger than my old one.

 

 

Cutting the fence by around 3ft means my family don't have the privacy in our garden as it becomes like 3ft on both neighbours side

[zack007]

I was trying to upload the map that shows my property and the neighbours but not sure how to upload the image

[AndyOrch]

Set your default scan page size to A4 less than 300DPI [150 will do]

scan the required letters/agreements/sheets - as a picture[jpg] file

don't forget you can use a mobile phone or a digital camera too!!

 

 

convert existing PC files to PDF [office has an installable print to PDF option]

..

it would be better to upload a multipage pdf if

you have many images too rather than many single pdfs

.

or if you have PDF as an installed printer drive use that

or use word and save as pdf

try and logically name your file so people know what it is.

though dont use full bank names or CAG in the title

i'e Default notice DD -mm-yyyy TSB

.

open a new msg box here

hit go advanced below the msg box

hit manage attachments below that box

hit the add files button on the top right

hit select files, navigate to your file on your pc

hit upload files

[zack007]

Thanks

plan.pdf

[AndyOrch]

I would think you would need a more detailed plan from the Land Registry.

[zack007]

Hi,

Just had a look through some land registry documentation and the plan is the same to the one I uploaded, it's not more detailed

[AndyOrch]

There may be a more detailed one contained within your deeds..I have seen far more detailed plans than the one you have uploaded.

[zack007]

Hi,

 

I do have the title deeds but just have a copy of the plan. Not 100% sure but i think i can purchase a detailed one for £3.

After reading the letter carefully it does mention to do a retrospective planning application.

Just trying to get some more information from there i.e. cost and the actual process of this

[Mr.P]

There may be a more detailed one contained within your deeds..

 

Land Registry plans are (as far as I'm aware) generally based on Ordinance Survey maps. What is really needed is sight of the original architects drawings that were submitted when the property was built. Depending on when the house was built, the local council may have a copy on file.