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Planning / permitted development is separate to party wall rights / legislation so council not relevant here as long as they build to the approved drawings.
On Party wall - they build directly on the line of junction (so half of the wall on your side), up to it, or just inside. Building directly on the line actually has the benefit that in future you could enclose upon that wall with your own extension in an easier manner than otherwise.
Whatever they want to do tho - is all covered by the party wall act. They must inform you offically in writing (serve you a notice) and give you time to respond (often done by a party wall surveyor) . Then on the basis that you don't tick the "sure go ahead" box - you either accept to share their proposed surveyor (cheaper for them) or refuse that, find your own and your neighbour is obliged to pay your surveyor's costs in addition to theirs. The surveyors agree the "party wall award/s" and it become legal . This will include what wall where on what foundations and with what build methodology. It will(should) also include condition surveys of your house and land before construction to cover you should big cracks appear after or during etc.
I assume they would propose to cantilever a wall foundation so it is only on their side of the boundary unless you are agreeing to share the wall.
Mechanism for agreeing their access onto your land to complete the work is also part of the award.
Other might have more "west" london recommend's but i've used these guys for projects (more outer north west based) but they apparently work all over. They were nice to work with.
https://www.woodwardsurveyors.co.uk/about-us/
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Amazing – thank you!
The wall will ('should') be right on the party line. That's what started off the problems – the designs showed it over the line on our property.
The council didn't care about that, and that's where things started to unravel. If the council don't care about plans that are wrong, where do we stand once something is being built?
Thankfully, that issue seems to have been resolved with the neighbours, but we're still concerned about the apparent lack of attention to detail for everything else we've seen so far – hence the need for independent expert opinion.
Can anyone recommend a party wall surveyor in London – West London, specifically?
Our mid-terrace neighbours are building a new extension and its wall will run right up to and halfway along our garden’s property line, partially replacing our wooden fence that’s currently there.
Despite the plans misstating the property line in the neighbours’ favour and a bunch of other issues (sewage pipes, right to light, etc), Hounslow council has just waved the plans through under permitted development and won’t otherwise engage with us.
We’ve talked things through with the neighbours, but not to our complete satisfaction and we’re still concerned about the whole project. Our small rear garden is slate tiled and we don’t know what the new foundations being dug right up to it will mean, for instance.
And, as it turns out, the mid-terrace neighbours on the other side share similar concerns – essentially all stemming from vague and incomplete information from both the neighbours (and their team) and Hounslow council.
It seems where party wall work is being done, those doing the work are obliged to pay for an independent party wall survey for any affected neighbours, if they want one – and it sounds like we need one to sort out what’s so far looking like a potential mess.
So has anyone had a good experience with a party wall surveyor who they can recommend?