Just to say that for those people who commented on my thread about our neighbours overlooking decking - the enforcement officer has been out and explained to our neighbour that he DOES need planning permission - there was the added problem that the development rights had been removed from the plot anyway. He explained that it was not about him but the property and as was said on the original thread - it would affect both of us if we wanted to sell our houses. The guy said he was going to put up a screen (he told my husband that no way was he going to do that) - he now has a certain time to apply and consult the council landscape guy to find a solution to a screen. The enforcement officer said we had been nothing but reasonable in our attempts to communicate. So anyone reading this and thinking of putting decking in their gardens - first of all - talk with your neighbours and check the local council's guidelines - communication is so important.
As my son said -he never intended being friends in the first place. His partner is having a baby soon and she will be at home all the time - how is she going to look us in the face while he is off to work - well she might be of the stuff to not care - but one day she will want to ask us something. We are a small lane where everyone knows each other - we get together when something needs doing and help each other out when we can - we are not in and out of each other's houses. That is their problem anyway - I won't feel like inclined to say more than a good morning now. We just don't want to see them at all. They must feel inhibited themselves because in all this lovely weather they have only used the decking once - they only come out of the house to walk the dog - and we hardly see anything of that either.