Infill vs. back garden

[Cjhannon]

Was hoping someone can help me with this. Owner of the property next door (in a row of terraced 3 storey houses) has applied for planning for a three-storey apartment block out the back garden. In the planning report it is referred to as an "infill site" as there's a wall cutting off the middle of the garden (which was built years ago). It seems there's more leeway to build on an infill site than a back garden, but surely building a wall across a back garden does not automatically mean the site is now an infill?

There's loads of other issues including an 11-metre wall touching my boundary wall and a complete blocking of sunlight into my kitchen, as well as three apartment windows looking directly at my bedroom/dining room windows (less than 7 metres away). Will hire a planning consultant (although their quotes vary wildly - one was €1500 to submit an objection; another quoted €750).

Anyone have any insight into the age-old infill vs. back garden debate?

thanks!

 

[NoRegretsCoyote]

there's a wall cutting off the middle of the garden

What does this mean in effect?

Is there a door in the wall? Has it been used as a back garden or as something else?

I presume this is a Victorian terrace with long gardens and a lane at the back, right? I used to live near one and there had been a lot of "news" properties over the years and none had ever gone above two stories.

When I looked this up years ago the setback rules varied a bit by local authority. I think DLRCoCo allow you to build closer than DCC.

The rules in force are all online on your local authority website. They are a slog but understandable to a lay person. Have a look yourself first but for something like this a planning consultant is invaluable. You may be able to split bill with a neighbour.

 

[Cjhannon]

What does this mean in effect?

Is there a door in the wall? Has it been used as a back garden or as something else?

I presume this is a Victorian terrace with long gardens and a lane at the back, right? I used to live near one and there had been a lot of "news" properties over the years and none had ever gone above two stories.

When I looked this up years ago the setback rules varied a bit by local authority. I think DLRCoCo allow you to build closer than DCC.

The rules in force are all online on your local authority website. They are a slog but understandable to a lay person. Have a look yourself first but for something like this a planning consultant is invaluable. You may be able to split bill with a neighbour.

This is a Georgian terrace with a community garden at the back. It was always a back garden (no shed etc) and a wall (a six feet brick wall, no door) was built and the house has been empty for years. This apartment block would be higher than the existing 3 storey house (close to 12 metres in total) - will engage a planner, just hard to know who is good and who is not, and the quotes vary wildly. Just hard to find a coherent definition of an infill site, but thanks for the reply, appreciate it.

 

[NoRegretsCoyote]

It was always a back garden (no shed etc) and a wall (a six feet brick wall, no door) was built and the house has been empty for years.

I have a fifteen metre garden with vehicular rear access.

If I built a wall half way down my garden with no door I could pretty plausibly argue that, whatever it was, it wasn't part of my garden anymore.

 

[SPC100]

not even an amateur on this, but I thought infill just means increasing density in some existing urban area, by building on green space.

I would guess that Infillplanning requirements are probably listed in the county plan. If they are acceptable and what requirements need to be met.

i doubt putting up a wall in a garden (many moons ago) makes much difference.

 

[Peppermint]

If you look up your relevant councils development plan it should give guidelines for assessment of infill development.

It also sounds like backland development (which as far as I remember is defined as sites to the rear of existing building lines). Just as an example I know SDCC have additional requirements regarding backland sites that they should be limited to a max of one storey to avoid overlooking.

 

[Leo]

Look up landdirect.ie and see if that parcel of land is listed in a different folio. Might be difficult claim it as an infill site if it's part of a single folio with their house.

 

[Cjhannon]

Look up landdirect.ie and see if that parcel of land is listed in a different folio. Might be difficult claim it as an infill site if it's part of a single folio with their house.

Thanks for that - its not listed on landdirect, although it was just up for sale as a single plot (house plus garden); although even though there is a sold sign up, the planning application lists the previous owners as still owning the site - so really not sure who owns it or what the "sale" was about.

 

[SPC100]

Might have been sold with planning, or subject to planning approval. If you sold it with planning for another building, it might sell for more.

A sold sign being putting up, doesn't necessarily mean that the legal owner has yet changed. Or maybe the owner when going sale agreed gave the purchaser permission to start applying for planning?