Many of us have spent this summer’s warm evenings and weekends relaxing out the back garden with a glass of our favourite tipple, enjoying the peace and quiet and wonderful surroundings.
But what if your view was taken away from you? Your green trees replaced by grey concrete buildings, your peaceful afternoon disturbed by constant drilling; or the minutes of your last hour of sunshine quickly ticking away while you are stuck in a slow moving traffic jam?
Whatever you think you might enjoy about a property could easily be about to change.
Near Yeovil in Somerset Mr Legg was granted planning permission to use his home for retail purposes with the condition that his land was returned to its normal use after a period. In 2002 his bungalow became ‘Legg’s Stores’ with his lawns being covered in old windows and doors, masonry and bathroom fixtures lying amongst other items of junk.
The planning permission expired in 2007 but Mr Legg has failed to clean up and return his home to normal use. Somerset District council issued an enforcement notice but Mr Legg appealed on the grounds that he was a hoarder and not a scrap dealer.
Neighbours have been upset by the sight that greets them when they open their curtains in the morning and have also, rightly, been concerned about the health and safety of the property; unfortunately for them they have to live with the view indefinitely as the planning inspector has quashed the Councils enforcement notice.
This decision has left neighbours furious, with worries that their homes will devalue or won’t be able to sell if they put them on the market.
Another story of woe being Ms Parham who spent 30 years restoring her £400,000 medieval cottage which is right next door to Dunster Castle, Somerset. When she purchased the former castle gardeners home in 1981 she was promised that the adjoining gardens would never be opened to the public. However after returning home in 2013 following a period away she discovered that the gardens had indeed been opened to the public. Ms Parham claims that the National Trust did not notify her of the changes or give her the opportunity to object. An estate agent claims that her property has now reduced £50,000 in value and she now has to keep her curtains closed to retain her privacy.
The National Trust claims ‘we have no evidence that any statements were made in 1981 that the garden would never be open to the public.1
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This article was submitted to be published by Conveyancing Data Services as part of their advertising agreement with Today’s Conveyancer. The views expressed in this article are those of the submitter and not those of Today’s Conveyancer.
