AN Eglinton resident is calling for a change to the policy that has allowed a granny flat to pop up over his back fence without any notification or consultation from Bathurst Regional Council.
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John Patterson has lived in Eglinton for close to 30 years, enjoying the peaceful village, the views he was treated to and his privacy.
Naturally, he was surprised to see a "demountable" placed just one metre away from his back fence on October 7.
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It was the first time he had any knowledge of his neighbour's plans, despite the fact the dwelling, referred to as granny flat, was part of a development application (DA) lodged with council in October, 2019 and approved the next month.
Mr Patterson contacted council immediately and was amazed to learn everything was done by the book.
Council's director of Environmental, Planning and Building Services, Neil Southorn, said the decision not to notify neighbours of the DA was made in accordance with the Community Participation Plan.
The plan, available on council's website, gives full details about the notification procedures for all types of development.
In the case of the granny flat, as the land was not within a heritage conservation area and the DA was for a single storey secondary dwelling, the neighbours were not required to be notified.
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While he doesn't object to the neighbour having a granny flat, Mr Patterson said he would have raised several concerns had he been aware of the DA.
The main issue is privacy, as several of the granny flat's windows overlook his immediate yard and kitchen.
"It's totally compromised my privacy," he said, later adding that he's felt like an intruder in his own house.
If consulted in 2019, he would have asked for the granny flat to be placed about three metres down the fence line.
"I'm not against anybody doing anything on their property, provided it doesn't impact their neighbours," he said.
"...I'm sure if [council] had have notified us, we could have worked out any objections before it got to the stage of a fight, if there's going to be a fight."
Mr Patterson said adjoining neighbours needed to be consulted about DAs that could potentially impact their properties, feeling that policies around notification need to be changed.
"I think it's essential that council have dialogue with all the neighbours," he said.
Mr Patterson will be meeting with council on Monday to further discuss the impact of the granny flat.
