A PENSIONER is furious after his neighbour built a wooden cabin in their garden which blocks his light.
Ian Adams, 88, said next door’s office was “huge and offensive” and alleged that it was built without planning permission.
3
3
But neighbour Stuart Walker said he does not need permission as the building – roughly 3 metres tall and 4 metres wide – isn’t a permanent structure.
Mr Adams, of Woodcoate, Oxfordshire, told The Sun: “My neighbour is a nice enough chap. I have no problem whatsoever with my neighbours, except there is now an extension that’s taking up all the sunlight coming from the south.”
Mr Adams accused the council of failing to act on his grievances and said several email went unanswered.
He then engaged a surveyor, who wrote to the council’s head of planning. They got a response closing the case.
Ian does have his own wooden cabin in his garden but is disgruntled at his neighbour’s because it is bigger and allegedly blocks sunlight.
A council meeting is said to have agreed the building did offend planning regulations but ruled it was far enough away not to block too much sunlight.
Retired magazine publisher Mr Adams said he was approached by the neighbour in August about the build.
He claimed he agreed provided the office met planning regulations.
Most read in The Sun
He added: “That was the end of that until October, when I saw the thing being erected and thought ‘that’s a bit large for a garden office – and it was unsightly.
“I spoke to the local planning department and was asked in what way was it offensive. I sent pictures and explained why it was offensive to me.”
The disgruntled neighbour, who has lived in the property for 12 years, added: “I don’t have an immediate plan to take further action, but I would like something to be done.
“I have one option, to go to the Ombudsman, but I have no idea who that is or what the likely outcome would be, but I think I’d do that first before going to a legal case.”
The Walker household said that the office was technically classed as a static caravan and as such did not require planning permission.
They also claimed that the council had confirmed this was the case, and that they had informed the neighbour of this.
3
