I live in a link-detached house (we are linked by a flat garage roof between the properties) and my neighbour wants to build a porch across the end of his garage, thereby creating a room where he can leave his dog, boots, shoes and god knows what else. This will mean that he will have a door in the front of the porch as well as then having to go through his existing front door (which happens to be on the side of these houses).
He intends to bolt a glazed wooden frame between his outside wall and my outside wall, which will effectively join our two properties together at the front of the house. There is already a rear wall of the garage which joins the two properties. I have been told by the local council that this work would probably come under the Party Wall Act 1996, but I want to know if he can legally put this porch up and whether he needs planning permission to do so.
I am very concerned that if he builds this porch, then my property will effectively become a semi-detached (with consequent loss of value) and we will also have the noise of his two front doors being amplified through our living room wall, which is the wall he intends bolting the porch to. A friend of mine is a solicitor and he has told me that I shouldn't involve him unless it is a last resort, as neighbour disputes can become very drawn out and nasty.
Can anyone please help with some advice?