What a real objection letter looks like

Replace any bracketed text with your own details. Delete optional lines you do not need. Keep this block consistent with any details you enter in the council’s online form, if you use one.

[Your full name]

[Your address — line 1]

[Your address — line 2 — delete if not needed]

[Town or city, postcode]

Email: [your email — include only if you are comfortable sharing it with the council]

Phone: [optional — include if you want the council to reach you by phone]

To: Planning Department, Riverside Borough Council

Date: 15 March 2026

Re: Planning application reference 24/99999/FUL

Proposal: Single-storey rear extension at 1 Example Street

I am writing to object to the above application. I live close enough to be affected by the proposal, and I want to explain in my own words how I believe it would impact me. I ask that this representation is taken into account in deciding the application.

I live at 3 Example Street, immediately to the north of the application site. My concerns are about everyday impacts I would feel if permission is granted:

• The proposed rear extension would sit very close to my boundary — I am worried about loss of light to my kitchen and living room, and a more overbearing presence in my garden.

• New rear glazing could increase overlooking toward where we sit and use the garden.

• Building work may need to use the narrow rear lane we share with other homes; I am concerned about safety, access, and damage during construction.

I am not asking the council to decide on the basis of house prices alone. My points below are about how the scheme would affect my home and my use of it.

1. Light and outlook

The drawings suggest a rear extension of significant depth. Given how close it would be to my rear windows, I am concerned that daylight to my main living spaces would be reduced. If the applicant has provided a daylight analysis, I ask that it is checked against my actual windows and rooms, not only theoretical points in the garden.

2. Privacy

I use my rear garden throughout the week. Additional windows on the side of the extension toward my garden could affect privacy. I would welcome consideration of sill heights, screening, or amended glazing if that would reduce harm.

3. Design and relationship to my property

I would like the council to consider whether the scale and form of the extension are reasonable in relation to neighbouring homes, including mine. I am not trying to dictate architectural taste — I am explaining how the bulk and position would feel from my side of the boundary.

4. Access and construction

If vehicles and deliveries must use the rear lane, I ask how pedestrian safety, passing places, and reinstatement will be managed, and whether conditions could secure a sensible construction plan.

Planning officers are familiar with the adopted local plan and national policy. You do not have to paste in long policy quotes unless you want to tie a specific point to a published test you have checked yourself.

If you do refer to policy, use the exact wording and policy references from the council’s published plan. I intend to check Riverside Borough Council’s current policies on amenity, privacy, and design before I lodge my final comment, and to add dated photographs if they help show separation distances or outlook.

I understand that a general worry about property value, without a linked material impact such as loss of light or privacy, may carry little weight. My objection above is framed around impacts I experience or would experience at my property.

If the harms I describe are borne out, I ask the authority to refuse permission or to defer the application until design or mitigation issues are properly addressed. If permission is granted, I ask that any conditions are workable and proportionate.

• Dated photographs from my boundary or windows.

• A short note of how I use the rooms and garden affected.

• The drawing sheet numbers and revision I relied on from the application.

I confirm this objection is submitted in my own name (or on behalf of the party I represent, if applicable). This sample was prepared for illustration. A document generated by Planning Guard for a real case is a draft for editing; it does not constitute legal advice. I remain responsible for checking accuracy and for the content lodged with the local planning authority.

Yours faithfully,

[Your full name]

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This page shows a fictitious example with similar section headings to a paid Word/PDF letter from Planning Guard. Your download is built from your council, reference, concerns, preliminary scan, and any documents you uploaded — always edit so the letter sounds like you, not a template.