The law is clear. If this was zoned as constructible land in the local plan then permission would be granted to build on it. And if in years gone by there was a barn there, then permission would be granted to build another one. The church doesn’t look like anything particularly special, so would ‘t have been part of the decision.
Planning in France is very different, as there is a lot more emphasis on function than aesthetics. And far fewer protections. You have no right to a view, or even to much light here. People can build within 2m of your boundary with only minimal consultation. In the UK notices would be put up close to the property to say an application was being made so you could object. That doesn’t happen here and the only way you know if if you read the local notices.
You can ask at the local mairie to consult the archive of planning permissions. You won’t make your self popular by doing so. And it will probably get you nowhere as you will most likely find that there is planning permission for a barn. The reason people are shrugging their shoulders when you ask about it is that it will be incomprehensible that it is of any interest.
Personally I find the green plastic brise vue netting far more objectionable that a the neat open hanger. I hope that is theirs not yours, as if yours then it is too probably too high as your boundary treatment should be 2m.
Thanks Jane my mayor jean baptiste basically said somthing similiar, there was a peirod of time when building was encouraged and grants were givien etc. Not sure of dates.
This is 12th century and very imortant. Even though there very few Christians in this village now, even the cofessional was torn out and put into storage lol.
Lot of confessions here needed.
I will get to the bottom of this. It is important not to be glossed over.
That netting was put up after they took down the firs. I prefer it like that. They would cut and never clean up, I planted a fruit bush, the only one in my garden against that wall. One plant and the son dropped a chainsaw right on top of it as he cut the fir. Sorry but they are just wankers. Please strike that word out if needs be, but give me a break.
Do you know how many 12th century churches there are in France? Hundreds!! Is it active, is there a local association involved in caring for it, does it have a listing in batîment de France? Might have more luck finding the background if you talk to those sort of people.
You obviously like it, but I imagine most of your neighbours think having some activity in the village is more important.
2 things:
That barn isn’t out of keeping with the rest of the village and even if it were it is there legally so that’s that.
You won’t sell your house for 240 thousand, € or £
By your own admission you could not see the barn when you bought the property because of trees that have since been removed - so you could not possibly have had a view of the church.
So, really, the problem is not the view of the church as your title implies but the fact that you now have a view of the barn.
It was there before you bought, trying to retrospectively dig into the planning to unearth some irregularity which means you can get it removed is, as they say “bad form”.
I can’t imagine (as has been noted) it will win any friends in the village.
If it was given permission for agricultural there is nothing you can do about it.
Also another lesson about doing up houses in France is do not expect to get the huge profit you can get in UK.
Here houses are to live in, not to make a profit.
I really think you have not done any research before you came to live in France and now the reality is setting in.
Wow gobsmacked, I agree with Eddie, so agressive! It is barn in a rural area. Until you posted the photo I thought it was really close to you and it isn’t even that close! You have no leg to stand on at all, all you will end up doing is upsetting everyone in the village and making a bit of a twat of yourself. Let it go.
ETA and adding fuel to the fire about Brits behaving badly abroad
I can’t understand why he bought a house not knowing there was a barn behind the trees,didn’t he look round
Although there are a few facts that don’t match up between his posts which is why I think we were filling a bored afternoon for someone
I must say though, the first rule of the internet is to read the words not the tone, because there is no tone. My first thought was that it was a bit strong too, but we all know that one person’s aggressive can be meant with an entirely different intent from the writer. I don’t disagree with you per se, but I’ve just learnt to take everything in the kindest possible way when it’s written down to give people the benefit of the doubt. The way some people speak on here (and everywhere on the internet), I’d be forever having arguments, but it’s best to just put it down to people’s eccentricities, and move on.
But were we to sell we would hardly make a profit. In each area houses will fall into a fairly narrow band of price and no amount of gold plated bath taps will increase that beyond a small percentage.
Couldn’t agree more! Indeed in our case we will make a pretty hefty loss, because we spent money on things like having an interior old stone wall moved and then rebuilt stone by stone - cost a fortune in manhours but looks beautiful and is a real feature of our cottage.
This is something that needs to be appreciated by anyone who thinks they can make a profit doing up property in France. Traditionally it is a slow market and the best way to increase the value of your property is, as Jane says, to move it somewhere where similar properties go for more money. The guy we bought off put more than 50k€ into improvements and it put not a sou on the market value (in fact he sold at a loss).
I reckon the best way to make money out of French property is to build new houses in popular (and populous) areas.
agreed, and, preferably where there’s a lot of high paying work so that people can afford to buy them.
Our home is in the middle of nowhere, there is no major hub of office blocks with big$$ positions for a long, long way.
This might change when fibre is everywhere and tele-working is more established.
