Garage NextDoor Building Massive Shed With No PP

antrophe

Hi folks, am looking for a bit of advice or wisdom on this.

So, I have a carwash next door that does mechanical work etc. Now, given that this car wash tends to just piss water out onto the public foot path with clear effluent in it, you can see the shine of the chemicals off the water going into the public drain every single day - I doubt its got its permissions right.

I've had good relations with them, letting them cut back a tree so a sign could be visible for them etc and things have been decent with them letting me have access to re-render the gable wall of the house etc as it was cracking. But I have a legal right to maintain my own gable wall and have access to do as much.

Then I arrive home one day to see they've put up joists across a shed neighbouring me. And are now erecting steel beams to build the supporting structure that looks to me to be about 5 metres high in the air. Just judging it on being well over twice the size of the garden fence on the other side.

I just went in and had it out with them, trying to remain civil of course. It's for a shed to work on large vans in. They're talking about steel corrugated roof, and then blocking the wall on my side (out of what they say is to stop dust etc coming in across my garden!!!) with plastic materials or even building up the wall (again, thats well without planning permission as its well over 2 metres high already and has been since i lived here...)

None of this was discussed with me and they are saying its a temporary structure and their landlord has approved it. On a side note, they also just drilled batons directly onto part of the gable to support a smaller shed seen to the left with zero permission asked and after I had extensive work done on it to secure it against damp and water egress.

Attached are views from my side where you can see the structure in the works and being extended out from an existing shed.

I know we have no right to light here and fair enough, but surely this is well out of order with zero thought given to neighbours?

The views here are from ground floor kitchen.

From what Ive looked into, the exempted developments for an industrial building are fairly restrictive.

* the storage of raw materials, products, packing materials, fuel or waste within the boundaries of an industrial building provided that the stored material relates to the premises and is not visible from any adjacent public road; * the provision of a hard surface at an industrial premises to be used for a purpose related to the premises related to the premises and the provision, re-arrangement or maintenance of sewers, mains, pipes or cables; * carrying out work specified by a local authority to prevent water or air pollution or in a derelict site notice; * drilling or excavation to survey land or examine the depth and nature or the subsoil; * placing or maintenance of movable appliances, apparatus or structures on a public road (e.g a free standing menu board outside a restaurant) as long as they are licensed by the planning authority; * scaffolding, plant or machinery put on the land itself or on adjoining land where permitted development is taking place. This land must be re-instated when the development is completed;

That above is from a Meath CoCo leaflet breaking down planning for businesses.

For a domestic house there is a provision for such temporary structures eg " an awning or other structure shall not exceed, in the case of a building with a tiled or slated pitched roof, 4 metres or, in any other case, 3 metres."

from: http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2001/si/600/made/en/print#part2



Any advice? I don't want to land in a war with these guys but I think this is probably really taking the piss. Im in a very well defined residential area. And this thing is overlooking my kitchen and garden now.

Lumen

Temporary structure exemption is common myth. There are a few classes of exemption like this but they're for things like circuses not garage workshops and the exempt period is defined in days. The tent/awning thing is just including those structures in case people think the regs don't apply to them.

Measure it properly and consult the council regarding planning enforcement, and a solicitor regarding damage to your wall.

Gumbo

Contact Planning Enforcement and Building Control.
They may require Planning, Fire Cert and a Disabled Access Cert.

antrophe

Thanks for the response. Spent a good bit of the weekend looking into the exempted stuff (its very much for agriculture and domestic stuff from what I can see, or in the case of a commercial joint it's for covering materials/products etc) and there's lots in there that's relevant to domestic work (eg building a bit of a yawning for yourself out the back...) but absolutely nothing in it that suggests this extension to their workshop is at all legit. Had a decent chat with the planning dept as well, so we'll see how it goes. Its also literally on my doorstep, well let's say a metre and a half a way - so that's a bit of cowboy carry on from them.

Angry bird

Planning permissiin required, no doubt. And no guarantee of a grant. This is the type of cowboy stuff that needs to be reigned in.