Parking & Business of Residential Property

[threegreens]

Our neighbours are running a small haulage business from a redsidential property. We have box vans coming and going day and night 7 days a week. We also have the vehicles parked outside our property in front of our garden and the view we have from the lounge window is vans being loaded and unloaded. Last year they built a large garage to the back of their property to use as a storage mini warehouse and we were never asked about this by the council planning department. Is there anything we can do legally to get this stopped and to stop them running a haulage business from a residential street?

We have also had our driveway blocked by them from time to time.

[emlett]

you can apply to the land registry for a copy of their office copy entries to the property and see if they have whats calleda restrictive covenant in there preventing them from running a business, either way, you could approach your local council and ask them to take steps as the business is a nuisance to you. As to the garage, again you'd have to speak to the council and find out whether they ever made an application for the building.
blocking of driveways is a pain, we have that too, i'm afraid thatthe council will not be bothered about that and unless you can talk to the neighbours about it and ask them to stop, your only other option is to call the police and tell them that the neighbours vehicles are obstructing you from moving your car. Try to avoid a neighbour dispute if possible and let the council be the bad guy (if they will help {LOL} as disputes can be a real turn off for prospective buyers and can make your life very difficult

[threegreens]

Thanks for the advice emlett.

The properties are adjoining semi's and I have checked the restrictive covenant for my property (From the title deeds I already have) and it clearly states that no trade or profession is allowed and the property must be used purely as a dwellinghouse. Therefore the same is likely to apply to their property given the houses were all built by the same builder as the same time.

The problem I have with these neighbours is that if I go to the council and complain they will probably carry out acts of vandalism against us as they are those sort of people. Do the council disclose who has made the complaint? If they don't it could any of the 20 or so residents in the street who have reported the matter

[themas]

They should not be carrying on a business from a house without planning consent anyway. You can go to the Council planning dept. and - without revealing who you are - ask to see any planning applications that have been made for their property. That will tell you whether they got permission for the garage and whether they have any consent to run a business.

Then you could make an anonymous complaint to the Council or - much better in my view - contact your local Councillor (the Council can tell you their name etc. if you ask), explain that you are very worried about being identified and ask if he/she can raise the matter without naming you.

The restrictive covenant in your deeds is not likely to help much unless there is someone still living in the area who actually has the benefit of the covenant. If there is (& it is unlikely if the covenant is an old one) then that person could make a complaint to your neighbour. However, you will probably have great difficulty in identifying whether there is such a person.

[meglet]

My local council's website has a section to allow you see planning applications online. Goes back a few years so its quite helpful. Before you go down to the Town Hall check their website.