Garden elevation planning and safety question

Cccdublin

I finished up a weeks night shift and looked out my window to find my neighbours have started to level their garden which is adjacent to mine. They don't engage with anyone full stop so I know I won't get any answers from them.

The gardens are long and slope downward at around the half way point, typical row of semi detached houses. There is a concrete wall separating the gardens. I am concerned about how th wall will hold up with the pressure of the additional earth that has been added to level the end of the garden especially after maybe a heavy ran.

The height additional increase in height is about 3-4 building blocks in height at the highest /lowest level or at the end if that makes sense

Also should planning permission be required? If so I don't know how I prove the original height as the house alongside us is slightly higher?

I have 3 small kids and feel that this may be a safety issue, leaving the privacy issue aside for the moment, any assistance would be helpful.

Many thanks
PJ

looksee

What kind of wall is it? Is it like a 70's build, a thin, single block affair with no piers and hardly any foundation. Or a decent one with appropriate piers? If you just want to do the easiest thing with least fuss why not just build a couple of buttresses on your side? I imagine you could legitimately build your wall up a bit if they have raised the level, though I am not sure how Planning handle that. A builder of an adjacent estate built (with proper consultation and compensation) a wall across the bottom of our garden that was about 5/6ft or so high on our side, but around 12ft on the new estate side. That was apparently ok with the planners, though it was a few years ago.

Its unlikely that planning will want to know, and you would need an engineer to tell you how safe the set-up is. The main issue would probably be that there should be a few seep holes in the wall to release water, though of course it would be draining into your garden. Its not the best arrangement, they should probably have built some sort of a retaining wall separate to the old wall on their side, but its done now. Its up to you how you want to handle it.

Cccdublin

Thanks for the reply.

It's a single block wall, there are reinforced, double block like posts every say 8 metres. You are right drainage holes into our garden are not an option as it gets too much water as it is.

There is wasteland behind us so seep holes might be an option there. I assume the people working on this will be back in January and it might be worth talking to them about it. Neighbours don't care and communication is non existent at this point due to an objection on both sides on planning for their eyesore which was granted by the council but with with additional conditions based on objections.

I wonder if I contacted the county council with a health and safety concern would they have an obligation to investigate? The usual drainage clause applied to their planning permission grant but assume this maybe a separate issue

I don't want to have to keep my 3 boys away from that area if they are out in the garden, I would like to be confortable that they are safe in their own garden from a collapsing wall. I will do my best to protect my families privacy from these thoughtless neighbours over the wall with trees and shrubbery.

Gumbo

Planning permission required if the change in ground level is +\- 1000mm.

Walls to front can be 1200mm high without planning.

Cccdublin

Thanks Gumbo, it does not exceed this. My main issue is that the wall is holding the soil and rubble moved to the end of the garden and it may not bear the weight and could potentially collapse.

Calahonda52

so say 4 blocks higher at the end.
what is the distance for where they started levelling back to the back wall.
.
you mention rubble so is it that they first levelled out the rubble and then levelled with clay
If so then less of a concern re drainage.

I would not at all be concerned about catastrophic failure, even after rain unless the existing wall is in poor shape.