A mother strikes after a brand new house is built so close to her that she says she can open her bathroom window and touch her neighbor’s wall.
Niki Caira, 35, who lives in Fife, Scotland, was shocked to learn how close the new home would be to hers.
Fife Council agreed to allow KJJ Properties and businessman Alex Penman to build the two houses worth £350,000, despite serious concerns and objections.
But last year, the building permit was given the green light, despite Niki and her husband Mario rejecting the proposals in 2020.
She has now put up a sign outside her house that reads; ‘How do you get through your back door when our windows are open? While passing, please keep our privacy by not looking through our toilet window’.
A lawyer for the developers insisted that the distance of 1.3 meters between the two homes “obviously exceeds the legal minimum”.
But Niki says events have also caused her to lose two pounds and she is now 6th 11 pounds.
She has lived in the house for the past 16 years with her children, husband and mother Mhairi.
She said: ‘I hardly eat, I have trouble sleeping and I feel so worried about this whole situation.
“I can’t stop thinking about it and the stress and upheaval it will cause if we have no choice but to move. I also keep thinking this is going to lower the value of our property.
“It’s an eyesore and all we can see when we look out our window.
“When I complained about it, the builder suggested I put up a high wall to hide the property. My kids would feel like they were living in a prison with a 3 meter wall around them.
“We absolutely loved our house, but now I feel stressed every time I look out my window. It’s such a shame because we’ve all been so lucky to live here until now.’
She told the Daily record she was even asked by construction workers to close her bathroom window so they could build scaffolding, as there wasn’t enough room to do so when it was open.
She added: ‘It is absolutely disgraceful that this is allowed. Why has Fife Council approved this application? I don’t understand how they can think this is okay.’
Robert F MacDonald, of Robert F MacDonald Solicitors, acting on behalf of KJJ builders and Alex Penman, said: “We understand that development on adjacent land may cause feelings of distress among neighbors but my client is pleased that they have complied with all relevant planning and building control requirements related to the two properties currently being built on this site.
‘This is a former brownfield site that has stood empty for years. Mr and Mrs Caira had the opportunity to participate in the planning process and they made their views known to the planning authority at the time.
“No doubt these have been taken into account by the Fife Council in making their decision. Mr and Mrs Caira had the opportunity to appeal against the urban development decision, but did not do so.
“Somewhat unusually, Mr and Mrs Caria’s property is built right on the border between the two tracts of land. However, all construction work has been carried out by my clients on land owned by Mr Penman.
“There is ample space between the two houses to erect the scaffolding and to access repairs on both properties in the future if necessary. We understand that during the erection of the scaffolding, the scaffolders asked Ms. Caira if a window (which opens onto our client’s land) could be closed slightly to allow them to erect the scaffolding.
“The existence of the scaffolding doesn’t stop Mrs. Caira from opening her window. When the work is finished, there will be a gap of 1.3 meters between the walls of the new building and the house of Mr. and Mrs. Caira, which is obviously more than the legal minimum.’
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