My folks have just come back from Orkney with the news that the National Lottery have installed a huge satelite dish in front of the access to my house.

Its a grade A listed property which was recently scheduled by the Royal Commission for Ancient Monuments. They took photographs and measured drawings of it recently.

It is unoccupied for most of the year. It sits in a small courtyard bounded by four properties. Three businesses, one a newsagents, and a private flat and my house.

The newsagents have upgraded their lottery connection with a satelite dish. Its located at the foot of my access stairs and it blocks light through the windows. I was not consulted by the newsagents or the installers before the siting of the dish. The newsagent is claiming it's Lottery property and he cant touch it.

I've tried to contact the lottery but cant find a link to that dept. Can anyone help with a link?

So what is the best way forward? Who to contact? Local planning? Royal Commission? Lottery? Man with a Stihl saw?

What would you do?

I would say planning first

Orkney planning dept is probably the most corrupt in the UK.

All lottery sites now need these, if you can provide a photo, I'll give you an opinion of whether or not you may have a complaint

It's a VSAT dish BTW [recieve & transmit] careful of the radiation when it's TX 🙂

I dont have a photo just now, but could get one in a day or so.

I'd call the planning dep't first – it probably won't have had any consent yet as most of it [if required] is applied for retrospectivley so they – likely – no nothing about it.

I can't remember what size dish they're using up there now – it used to be 1.2m

Cheers Uplink. I'm working on the photo. The dish is in a conservation area anyway, my assumption was that they would need to have applied for consent.

I'll hold fire with planning till I get your opinion on the pic first.

if i remember correctly there is something funny about ground sited dishes being pretty much exempt in conservation areas, assuming it is ground sited that is.

Its bolted to a wall.

ah

as you were

Its a minefield, thanks for the tip

Definitely ring the planners. I think under Scottish Law (as with English) all buildings in a conservation zone are afforded the protection of listed status which prevents works being carried out that detract from their character. This would definitely include bolting a satellite dish to the side of it.
Rights to light are difficult things to deal with so that’s a last resort. Definitely ring the planners and also point out to the newsagent that it’s a criminal offense to damage listed buildings (and so buildings in conservation areas?) -depending on the size of the bolts they’ve used to attach the disc he might quickly change his mind about doing something…
It is a legal minefield though so you need to talk to someone who can deal with the specifics of the case. Planning should be your first call.

If its Grade A listed the I'd have thought that you could use an argument something along the lines of "adversely affecting the siting of a Grade A listed building" amongst others – I freely admit I have no experience of Scottish planning law however. I do deal with Grade II and II* listed building fairly frequently.
If its anything like England then anything which affects such a highly regarded building will require direct approval from Historic Scotland rather than being devolved to local planners. You could always raise a stink with them.

Uplink: What do you do? are you an sat comms engineer?

Uplink: What do you do? are you an sat comms engineer?

more in management these days

whats the problem can you not get in and out of your house ?

I certainly couldn't carry a large piece of furniture past the dish.

Well, try carrying a very large piece of furniture past it. End of problem.

It'll take more than a wardrobe to move it

Large heavy sofa?

Solid oak dining table?

Hammer at 3am?

Tell the local scallies that it's worth £thousands. Or bribe them with cider to "lose" it.

I'd get onto RCAM and ask them if they're aware of it. They probably won't be too happy…

Uplink: For who? Im an MCR engineer.

Waves at Buzz..
Road monkey here, although not been in the Sat truck for months for various reasons. You must be one of those chaps who sit in dark rooms all day…!

Anyhoo.. OP go to the planning Department as soon as and give them hell.

Where abouts is it… will send the Stromness Mafia out to sort it out 😉

I can ask at work if you like??- we deal with loads of planning applications for O2 &Vodafone all day every day..

I'm sure our Edinburgh office could help…

I am a planning officer and if I am reading it right the dish falls within the curtilage of a listed building and it would be fair to say will have a detrimental impact on the character of said building. Most dishes, subject to size and location, can be installed under permitted development but listed buildings do not benefit from permitted development rights. My advice would be to contact you local planning dept and ask to speak to the design and conservation team as they will likely be familiar with the site.

They put it up without asking you when you weren't around.

I'd take it down without asking them when they weren't around.

Better to seek forgiveness than ask permission 🙂