Changing house entrance...

baggote2

Hi. Just wondering is it possible to change an entrance into a house or what would be the legalities around it. The front entrance is surrounded by factories & etc but at the back of the house behind the wall its into a housing estate which would be more ideal. Nothing really behind the back wall apart from a few recycling bins. Would any be able to help out or know a bit more about this matter. Thanks in advance.

L1011

You presumably don't own the land behind the house if there's recycling bins on it which is going to be far and away the most major issue. Once ownership/access is sorted you'd need planning permission also.

baggote2

Hi. Oh sorry the bins arent actually right behind the house, there is just a pathway. Maybe that might make it easier, more straight forward :-/

MYOB wrote: »

You presumably don't own the land behind the house if there's recycling bins on it which is going to be far and away the most major issue. Once ownership/access is sorted you'd need planning permission also.

Marcusm

Your current entrance is onto a public road? The proposed rear access would be onto private land across which you don't have a right of way. Do you have any prospect of acquiring a right of way?

baggote2

The house and front entrance is beside businesses off a main road. Out the back behind the houses back yardwall is a patch of grass & then rd of a housing estate. Im wondering would it be possible or how might I find out aboyt changing the entrance out into this estate?

Marcusm wrote: »

Your current entrance is onto a public road? The proposed rear access would be onto private land across which you don't have a right of way. Do you have any prospect of acquiring a right of way?

Marcusm

baggote2 wrote: »

The house and front entrance is beside businesses off a main road. Out the back behind the houses back yardwall is a patch of grass & then rd of a housing estate. Im wondering would it be possible or how might I find out aboyt changing the entrance out into this estate?

You need to try to find out who owns the common parts of the housing estate and negotiate with them to use their property. If it's an old estate, it might have been taken in charge by the council but that doesn't mean that the council owns it, merely that they have agreed to maintain the roads and the common parts. It's no different that trying to get access across your next door neighbour's garden except that you might have difficulty finding out who the neighbour is.

Zzippy

Nothing to add to the legalities, but here is an example of a house where someone has done exactly what you're talking about. The house with the big gates used to have an entrance onto a laneway on the far side, but they knocked a hole in the high wall to make a new entrance into the estate. No idea how difficult it was to get permission, but the estate would be managed by Fingal Co. Co. and it wouldn't have involved a right of way over private land.

baggote2

Thank u kindly for all your knowledgeable info.
So basically my first step is to find out who owns or controls the housing estates land & take it from there? And if Dub co co owns the land do you think it might be difficulty to open this wall to create an entrance into the area/estate? Cheers

athtrasna

baggote2 wrote: »

Thank u kindly for all your knowledgeable info.
So basically my first step is to find out who owns or controls the housing estates land & take it from there? And if Dub co co owns the land do you think it might be difficulty to open this wall to create an entrance into the area/estate? Cheers

I would imagine it would be very difficult. You have an entrance, you'd prefer an entrance that involves breaching the wall of an estate, can't imagine the residents would be too impressed.

Graces7

athtrasna wrote: »

I would imagine it would be very difficult. You have an entrance, you'd prefer an entrance that involves breaching the wall of an estate, can't imagine the residents would be too impressed.

i think the wall is his..

baggote2

Ya the wall is ours. Its a strange one really whete the house entrance is to begin with,.facing out along factories, the only house :-/ Dont know why its never been done before or maybe wasnt possible :-/

Graces7 wrote: »

i think the wall is his..

Marcusm

Zzippy wrote: »

Nothing to add to the legalities, but here is an example of a house where someone has done exactly what you're talking about. The house with the big gates used to have an entrance onto a laneway on the far side, but they knocked a hole in the high wall to make a new entrance into the estate. No idea how difficult it was to get permission, but the estate would be managed by Fingal Co. Co. and it wouldn't have involved a right of way over private land.

There's a good example where people assume they can create an entrance. The road/estate might have been taken in charge by Fingal CoCo but it was owned up to 2011 by Oak Park Developments Ltd (seems to have been the original developer of the houses in 1972) and is currently owned by 5 individuals based in Meath (3), Kildare and Louisbourg in Co Mayo. I have no idea if the owner obtained a right of way and don't mean to suggest that they've done anything wrong but simply creating the entrance is akin to a Pat Kenny situation.

Just because the owners aren't there regularly doesn't mean that it is abandoned. If you put in an entrance and don't have an existing right of way, it is possible that they could come along and insist that the work be undone at any stage before the right of way is established.

At the same time, it might never become an issue until you come to sell the house....