Privacy in back garden

Privacy86

My neighbours have recently installed a jungle gym in there back garden for there kids. Unfortunately they have installed it beside our boundary wall which is 6ft+ and the jungle gym is standing at about 3ft above the wall giving all the users a full view into my back garden and the windows at the back of my house. I feel totally invaded and now uncomfortable in my own back garden. I approached my neighbour about it. There is a space on the item approx 2ft x 2ft that is causing all the problems. If a piece of wood was installed it would block the view and it wouldn't affect the use. I asked them to consider this and they laughed me away from the door. So now I need to know have I any rights to privacy? Are they in breach of any regulations? What can I do to get my private garden back?

xabi

A bit of naked sun bathing and it will be moved fairly quickly

Bucklesman

The back garden might be your private property, but you don't have a reasonable expectation of privacy there if it's overlooked by neighbouring houses -- or this jungle gym.

If you want your garden to be a place where you expect privacy, the onus is on you to take measures to screen it with a hedge or trees.

seamus

Privacy86 wrote: »

Thank you for your replies.

So I could get raised platform and sit on it and look in through there back windows and that wouldn't be against any sort of laws and regulations?

Correct, provided that the platform itself is within the exemption limits for what you can build. I've heard of cases where neighbours have built small block sheds and then put a deck on the roof with steps up to it, from which they can obviously see over the other walls. It's crass and rude, but can be completely within planning laws.

Although if you spent a lot of time staring into your neighbours' houses, you'll find other kinds of laws being used against you

I would love to plant trees/hedging but i would be afraid it would block some light on them. They would need to 9ft tall to combat this structure. Can they object to that?

Nope. They can't object to trees as trees are aren't subject to planning.

Angry bird

1 metre above or under ground level for a platform is the exemption re planning. Undue overlooking is the term that is relevant and a jungle gym would not appear to fit this description.

Chucken

Similar thread in AH recently. Is this it OP?

http://i.imgur.com/srzmbzw.jpg

Gumbo

seamus wrote: »

Correct, provided that the platform itself is within the exemption limits for what you can build. I've heard of cases where neighbours have built small block sheds and then put a deck on the roof with steps up to it, from which they can obviously see over the other walls. It's crass and rude, but can be completely within planning laws.

Not entirely correct as if you build that shed and use the roof of it as a terrace it then becomes a roof terrace and it's strictly enforced by Dublin City Council. I've seen them enforced all the way to the courts here in Dublin with one very recent one in the Arbour Hill area of Dublin 7/8.

Other councils may be a bit more relaxed about it but as Angry Bird says, if you build more than 1m up or excavate 1m down, it requires planning.