PaulaBianca

Appreciate your support. It has been a hellish 4 years. I am looking to sell as soon as it is complete. Have no interest in living next door to such a selfish person with no regard for neighbours or neighbourhood!

Nah, just a little swimming pool and wine cellar I believe. Essential living for East Dulwich yes?

HI World Wiser, you are correct that planning premising has dates you must commence by, but none for completion, which is very problematic. There is a Party Wall Agreement in place. I don't see how he can have gained verbal assurance from a Planning Office in the absence of any consultation with neighbours or indeed the Freeholder of my property, who as of yesterday, knew nothing about the application for extension. Zebedee Tring - thanks for your support I am going to look into the legalities on this situation, namely the negative impact on me but its not just against the developer, its against the Council too, who have not protected my interested and enforced completion on the project. I have no confidence that Southwark Council is acting in my best interest or that of the neighbours or the community with regard to this project.

I have just objected to it, yes.

That is a little consolation for me I'm afraid. Today I finally gained information about the planning application which is the cause of the latest delay. It can be found on Southwark's website at 16/AP/4576. The selfishness and overdevelopment continue. Mr Scott Collins has put in a proposal for a top storey bedroom extension, taking the 3 storey build to a 4 storey one and impacting the view from the rear of my home. I was not consulted at all. This hell has been going on for 4 years and when they are finally nearly finished after I have had to move out for the disruption, he tries to extend his development, further encroaching on my property and those on other side and those behind on Worlingham Rd. It is time for the Council to say NO. It cannot be right that neighbours have to suffer personally and financially at the expense of the over development of one man.

Hi all, as the immediate neighbour, I appreciate the comments, concern and outrage at this project. After nearly 3 years of stop and start build, most of it highly invasive and disruptive due to the lower level excavation, I left East Dulwich. I couldn't suffer the intrusion any more. I rented out the property and moved to Sussex. A new Project Manager was appointed last summer, HOLT, who appear to have a very good reputation. The plans they provided me over 6 months ago, showed a completion date of 1st February. Although quite a lot of work has been done and appears to be of high quality, work stopped again in December. I enquired about the delay with HOLT and was told that this was due to a 'design change'. Apparently there is yet another planning application being approved by the Council. It has now been 4 years since the build started. I have been trying to sell the property for the last year, made quite difficult by the ongoing build, especially one with this reputation. I was lucky enough to be given a tour of the famous basement last year. There is indeed a small swimming pool. It is a bona fide Man Cave. Thank you Mr. Collins and the Council for allowing such a necessity, resulting in 2 years of disruption to the neighbourhood. He hasn't run out of money. And he doesn't care if the neighbours like him or not. This build is area of focus. The Council should have enforced the completion of this build when they were requested to, nearly 2 years ago. I am awaiting a revised completion date from Holt, which I fear is going to Summer 2017. That is of course, if Mr Collins doesn't decide to halt work, fire and engage a new contractor, get shut down by the Council, make a new design change..

Can anyone tell me the latest news about this project that began in 2012 by owner Scott, for an LA style basement excavation and 3 storey house in a tight corner in a lovely Victoria street? How far are they along with the build and any idea when it is due to complete???

DulwichBnb, Mustard, David Carnell, Intexasatthemoment,Trizza Wanted to thank you all for your support and advice on pursuing this further. In the last week, after much consideration and further frustrations on other things due to the build, I made a formal complaint to the Council, citing breach of Clause 17 in the revised Planning Permission that was given in August 2012 to the Developer. There has been no work for 2 weeks. I found out today that PowerDay (second Contractor) will remove all of its materials from the site next Tuesday and is officially finished. There has been no communication at all by the Council or the Developer or existing Contractor to neighbouring residents on the new Contractor that has been apppointed to finish the build or when it is due to finish. StaferJack - I agree that a formal complaint nearly 2 years in will not get me back the misery of living directly next door to this, but I hope the complaint might result in an acknowledgement or apology that this build never should have been approved, or of maladministration and injustice in that they have failed to ensure it kept to the Planning Conditions agreed, resulting in unreasonable adverse impact. At the very least, I hope it might assist better decisions by Planning in the future, so that other Southwark residents dont have to endure what I have endured and continue to endure!

Thanks intexasatthemoment. This definition seems a bit loose however which make a complaint difficult to highlight a breach. For example: What constitutes 'Correct implementation'? What 'Planning Controls' or 'Planing Conditions' were/are in place for this development if any, to begin with?

Thank you, very interesting..

thanks worldwiser. I emailed Rosie Shimmell (councillor) James Barber (councillor) Sarah Newman (Environmental Health). I absolutely agree that this scale of development on our street is grossly out of keeping with the kind of cottages. I find it incredible that in 2007 Michael Thomas, who developed my property (70a Crawthew) applied for planning permission for a small flat dormer roof as part of the property, it was turned down due to 'issues of privacy and possible noise disturbance to immediate neighbours'. But just a few years later they approve a 3 storey build, including basement excavation right next door, which they know will be fraught with issues and as SteveUK said, in a such a hard to access place. Thanks for the previous thread. I have the original Schedule of Works which had the project finishing this summer, yes.. the next one had PowerDay finishign 'Phase 1' in August, then that was delayed they say due to concrete deliveries to October.. and we go on. The dark and wet weather is coming and with no roof on, I fear this could go on until next summer.. which would make it 2.5 years of absolute misery.

Thanks Steve. I totally agree. Am concerned it will drag on until at least the spring... It never should have been approved. I will let you know if I find out more. There has been no work the last few days. It seems perhaps PowerDay and their subcontractors have gone but the new contractor is yet to start.

thanks DulwichBorn&Bred, absolutely agree we should be able to describe people without being accused of racism! And for sure I know as they have been next door for a very long time.... whether or not they are Irish is the least of my worries - its just one more things I have to put up among many! I just pray they will finish this bloody build in the next 6 months.

Worldwiser thanks for your support. I agree. An excerpt of an email I sent to the Council today: I would like to ask how the Council can allow residents to be so adversely impacted by a build, over such a long period of time. Where is the protection for residents? Homeowners? Compensation for my inability to sell my home in the last year due to the delay of 1 year? Compensation for loss of privacy, inability to work from my home, loss of enjoyment in my home, the embarassment at having anyone round? Justification for the mess and traffic chaos of this corner in East Dulwich? Where are the penalties for incompetent contractors? For selfish and greedy developers? Neither I or anyone who knkows about this situation can understand how it has been allowed to continue to impact residents of Crawthew Grove, Worlingham Road and others to this extent, for this long. From my perspective, the Contractors and suppliers shrug their shoulders and say 'not my problem' or 'call the Council' but on many of issues I have raised, the Council has referred me to a third party or a National Body. Where is the Council's accountability now, 22 months into this build? Southwark Council must not approve Planning for a build, without stricter conditions and monitoring on its development and impact on residents. The Council has a duty to its members to ensure any builds are reasonable, safe, with the least impact as possible on residents' ability to carry on with their normal lives. It seems sensible to attach conditions to planning approvals. Conditions that the work must be completed in a certain timeframe. Conditions that there must be minimum impact to neighbours. Council's review and approval of the contractors chosen (are they reputable? have they done work in the borough before? what is their financial situation?). Penalties should be given for breaching these conditions. Only these kinds of measures will ensure Developers behave responsibly, with thought for their neigbhours and community, selecting quality contractors that will do a good job and not cut corners. Having lived through this nightmare (not over yet), I honestly dont think that until developers and contractors are hit in their wallets, these kinds of complicated, delayed, horribly disruptive builds will stop.

I am afraid StraferJack that the cussing and smoking is from the 2 older Irish guys on the site, one in particular! Not a generalisation, just an annoying reality for me.