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I Have A Question Volume 71 - Dynamic Dave

*****This Volume is now closed. Please see Volume 72, which can be found here*****

www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=30923


In this thread you may ask any question for which you need help, advice, suggestions or whatever.

It does not need to be motoring related. In fact, in this thread it should not be.

No Questions About PC's. They now go in another Thread.
No politics
No Speeding, speed cameras, traffic calming
No arguments or slanging matches
Nothing which I think is not following the spirit of the thread
Nothing that risks the future of this site (please see the small print for details www.honestjohn.co.uk/credits/index.htm )

Any of the above will be deleted. If the thread becomes difficult to maintain it will simply be removed.

However, as has been said a couple of times, there is a wealth of knowledge in here, much of which is not motoring related, but most of which is useful.

This is Volume 71. Previous Volumes will not be deleted,

A list of previous volumes can be found here:-
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=18847


PLEASE NOTE:

When posting a NEW question, please "Reply to" the first message in this thread, i.e. this one. This keeps each question in it's own separate segment and stops each new question from getting mixed up in amongst existing questions. Also please remember to change the subject header.
Posting things to New Zealand - PoloGirl
Just humour me on this one...

Can I post a creme egg to New Zealand, or is it banned as it's kind of a dairy product?

Posting things to New Zealand - frostbite
I doubt it will be classed as a dairy product. Lucky to arrive intact though.
Posting things to New Zealand - Hugo {P}
...problem with that is how much you have to shell out the the postage ;)

Otherwise a simply cracking idea!

H
Posting things to New Zealand - L'escargot
During WW11 when food was rationed and eggs were scarce (in fact everything including money was scarce) we sometimes received (quite illegally, I'm sure) hens eggs through the post from a benevolent relative. Sometimes they arrived intact and sometimes they didn't. Would a Creme Egg survive a trip to New Zealand?
--
L\'escargot by name, but not by nature.
Posting things to New Zealand - Round The Bend
Could come to a sticky end!
Posting things to New Zealand - El Hacko
eggsactly which Easter would you like it to arrive?
A disappearing pound - Dwight Van Driver
Heard this earlier last week and intrigues me?.

So. Les Cargo, Adski, and RF go for meal.

They chose a set Menu at 10 pounds a head. After eating the meal they
give 30 pounds to the waiter who goes to the till. The Headman says no, set menu for the day for three is only 25 pounds and hands the waiter 5 pound coins to return to the diners. On the journey back he pockets 2 pounds and then gives the three diners one pound each.

Now therefore the cost of the meal to the diners was how much? I make it 9 pounds i.e. 10 paid and 1 returned.

So the cost to the three was 27 pounds (3 x 9).

But two pounds was pocketed by the waiter. 27 plus 2 equals 29.

My question is ? where did the other pound go?

DVD
A disappearing pound - hxj

It doesn't go anywhere. You are arriving at the wrong answer the wrong way.

I'll let you stew a little longer ...






Whilst I work it out :-)
A disappearing pound - livefortheday
This was on the James O'Brien show at LBC Radio earlier this week.

Annoyingly, I have still just spent 10 minutes trying to suss it out although I knew the answer.

It is all to do with subtracting the waiters £2 from the £30. Then the three way division works out at £9.33.

Anyway it wouldn't work as no poster on here would ever give a tip that big to a waiter!

A disappearing pound - adverse camber
the cost is 27 because it is the 25 charged, + the 2 'tip'. they each get a £1 refund. total 30.

you look at it the wrong way.
A disappearing pound - Hugo {P}
The cost to each diner is the £10 minus the £1 they get back.

The £2 the waiter keeps would have reduced the cost to £25 for the three ie £25/3 = £8.33 1/3rd pence each.

As the waiter kept the £2, bringing the cost up to £9 each. Each diner effectively forked out an extra 66 1/3rd pence each - exactly a 3rd of the £2!

Bring up your virtual calculators and check out my figures!

H
A disappearing pound - blue_haddock
It's a similar to the 11 fingers trick.

Count your fingers from left to right - total 10, then count backwards 10, 9, 8, 7, 6.

6 on the right hand plus the 5 on the left hand makes 11 fingers.
A disappearing pound - Adam {P}
What I want to know is how the hell RF and I lasted the whole meal without one of us beating the other up!

--
Adam
A disappearing pound - Altea Ego
And more to the point, who the hell managed to get Adam to stick his hand in his pocket and pay his share!!
A disappearing pound - Adam {P}
That is so accurate RF it's scary!
--
Adam
A disappearing pound - L'escargot
Sacre bleu!

£30 was originally handed over to the waiter.
£25 went into the till, £3 was handed back to the infamous trio, and the waiter pocketed £2.

The transaction balances, n'est pas?

Alternatively, the nett payment was £27 (£30 - £3) of which £25 went into the till and £2 went into the waiter's pocket.

It's a £1 to a penny there's a fallacy in your calculation!
--
L\'escargot by name, but not by nature.
Hi-Fi advice,please - mjm
Are there any vinyl fans in the backroom, please? I do like to give my old LPs a spin occaisionally. Unfortunately, one of my favorites has become too warped to play. Is there any way to "flatten" it out again with destroying it?

I have a Marantz CD5000 cd player which has started skipping bits, stopping, etc on some cds. They have been cleaned and play ok on other players. Is it worth using a lens cleaner on the Marantz? Do lens cleaners work, in general?
Any advice would be appreciated.
Thank you.
Hi-Fi advice,please - Altea Ego
Well you need to press your album between two flat surfaces, with a weight on top, and leave is somewhere warm (airing cupboard is ideal)for about two to three weeks

Re the CD player, yes if you get a cleaner cd with a little brush on it it will help. Failing that it needs to be taken apart and the lens cleaned and the laser head guide rails lubricated.

Frankly tho with the price of CD players (even good ones) I would bin it and toddle to richer sounds and get a new one.

Hi-Fi advice,please - mjm
Thanks R F, the player is behaving itself this morning. We havn't an airing cupboard but Sticky Fingers will be residing under some weights in the loft, but not in the original sleeve!
Hi-Fi advice,please - Round The Bend
Re CD player, I understand that playing CD/RWs on a player not designed for purpose will cause problems long term.
A Decorating Question - Robin
I am redecorating my son's room by strippng off the wallpaper and then painting. The walls in my house are plasterboard and despite my best efforts there is a bit of damage to the plasterboard where i have removed the wallpaper in as much as the surface of the plasterboard has been scratched off. (that is, a thin layer of the surface coating has been removed, not the actual plaser itself). I think that when i paint the walls these areas will be visible as there is a definite 'step'. How can i repair them? Is there anything i can paint opver the damaged parts to hide them? Will ordinary emulsion do this? The local DIY shop suggested PVa but this looks to be just for sealing plsterboard, not repairing.

thanks
A Decorating Question - BazzaBear {P}
Polycell have a couple of products that have been advertised on TV.
One is 'smoothover' I think, the other I can't remember the name of, but is basically a very thick basecoat paint.
Which you need depends on how bad the surface is.
Having had a quick look, they're not what you'd call cheap though - possibly because there isn't really any similar competitor on the market.
A Decorating Question - Altea Ego
I use a heavy weight (1200 grade) plain lining wallpaper.

Other than that is much work with a skim plaster and much rubbing down after.
A Decorating Question - nick
I use 1200g lining paper too. Gives a nice finish and feels warmer too than just plain painted plasterboard. Cheap and easy to hang as well.
A Decorating Question - daveyjp
I use thin polystyrene to line the walls which is avaailable in rolls from the usual DIY stores. Gives a perfectly flat surface and helps keep the room warm.
Helecopter trip. - livefortheday
Would you go up in a helicopter with this man? Scroll through to about 3 minutes.

tvtotal.prosieben.de/components/videoplayer/0698/0...=
thursday - Imagos
Q why are general electionds held on thursdays?
thursday - Ex-Moderator
A: www.parliament.uk/commons/lib/Ge-misc.htm
Dirty dishwasher - Mike H
Since christmas, we have noticed that the silver cutlery that we have been washing for 20 years in the dishwasher without problems has started to seriously discolour with a yellow, tarnish-like bloom. I noticed today (yes, I know, I am a bit slow!) that a couple of plastic melamine plates that we use for the cat food are also darkening, and once again we've been washing them in the dishwasher since time immemorial.

On closer inspection, all the white plastic-coated metal baskets in the dishwasher have a dirty grey film that can be wiped off with a nylon scouring pad, and there is a similar film not actually visible on the stainless steel walls but which can be seen on a clean pad when they are wiped. The internal floor of the dishwasher is grey plastic. I'm assuming that the discolouration of the cutlery and this dirty film are related.

We are using Waitrose dishwasher powder which we've used for years. We haven't moved into an area with a different type of water. We've had this dishwasher for a couple of years (Bosch). We've had two previous dishwashers over the last twenty years & never had this before. We always use the Normal 65 degree wash.

The only things I can think of that might cause this problem are either a deterioration in the plastic, or Waitrose have changed the formulation of the dishwasher powder (which might cause in turn a problem with the plastic.

Does anyone out there have any bright ideas, or had a similar problem?
Dirty dishwasher - mjm
We occaisionally use a "Finish" dishwasher cleaner. It is in a sealed container which is placed inside the cutlery tray, I think. Nothing is put in with it, and you put the washer through a 65 deg. wash. The heat opens the container, and away it goes. It works very well.
We found that using powder in the machine, also a Bosch, didn't work very well, it used to build up in the tray and generally not dissolve very well. Tablets seem to work better, the only downside being that they fall out of the container with a bit of a thump and make the dog jump!
Dirty dishwasher - frostbite
If you want to restore the cutlery, an overnight soak in Pepsi or Coke or similar gut-rot is usually the best way. Certainly works with stainless, but if that is real silver, test a bit.
Dirty dishwasher - smokie
Mrs S uses a similar product called Oust. Cleans it up a treat. Robert Dyas stock it. They do different cleaning and de-scaling products, this one is specifically for dishwashers.
Dirty dishwasher - adverse camber
They always say not to put silver in a dishwasher. quite possibly the dirty film is a silver salt, you are gradually dissolving it.

anything changed about the salt or rinse agent (if you use them) ? Have the water company done anything ? Have you aquired anything new that is going through in the same wash ? (you shouldnt let steel touch silver if you put them in the machine together).

Is it plate or solid ?
Dirty dishwasher - Mike H
They always say not to put silver in a dishwasher.
quite possibly the dirty film is a silver salt, you are
gradually dissolving it.


We've been doing it for twenty years to the same cutlery without a problem!!
anything changed about the salt or rinse agent (if you use
them)?


Still using Sainsburys best.
Have the water company done anything ?


Thanks, good idea, I'll check with them.
Have you aquired anything new that is going through in the same wash ?
(you shouldnt let steel touch silver if you put them in the machine together).


No, nothing new. And yes, I know about the stainless steel & silver not touching - and have been using dishwasher for twenty years with same cutlery.
Is it plate or solid ?


Plate.
Dr Who box thing... - PoloGirl
If someone wanted to buy one of those blue phone box things, like the ones in Dr Who... where might that someone find someone else to purchase it from? (Apologies - I've never watched it so don't really know the correct terminology.)

I'm hoping someone here knows the answer!

Thanks!
Dr Who box thing... - Hugo {P}
PG, the correct terminology is the Tardis, made to look like a police phone box from the outside.

Where you get them from I don't know

H
Dr Who box thing... - PoloGirl
Thanks Hugo - I was getting nowhere with "Blue phone box" on Google!

Dr Who box thing... - Pugugly {P}
Well you'll never guess.!......e-bay 6522672994
Dr Who box thing... - Pugugly {P}
I do not believe it !!!!! there is a full sized complete one ! 4715652508
Dr Who box thing... - BazzaBear {P}
I do not believe it !!!!! there is a full
sized complete one !


What, the inside as well???
Dr Who box thing... - Pugugly {P}
Of course.
Dr Who box thing... - Altea Ego
Its a right con, it will be in another dimensions by the time you come to collect.
Dr Who box thing... - Onetap
In the 'Questions from other buyers' someone asked; "Hi there - could you confirm the internal dimensions please - thanks".
Predictable, I suppose.

Before your time, I think PoloGirl. They were called Police Boxes, or Call Boxes and date from when the police did foot patrols with a wooden truncheon and had a whistle to summon assistance. The blue light on top flashed if the station wanted to summon a passing PC. I think they also provided a refuge on cold wet nights. Then about 1968 they got personal radios and Morris Minors and all the Police Call Boxes suddenly fell into disrepair & then vanished. As indeed did the PCs.

You could get a competent joiner to make you one.
Dr Who box thing... - Onetap
All you never wanted to know about Police Call Boxes.

encyclopedia.laborlawtalk.com/Police_call_box
Dr Who box thing... - Chas{P}
Oh and Tardis stands for:

Time And Relative Dimension In Space

Slip the anorak off now..........
Boiler & Central Heating Cover - BobbyG
I currently have emergency breakdown cover with Scottish Gas to cover boiler, heating etc. However, with my no claims discount, it is still £154pa with another £60pa for drains cover.

Can anyone recommend any other company who will do it cheaper?
Boiler & Central Heating Cover - Altea Ego
Give Direct line a bell.

My mum only pays British gas £130
Isle of Wight Ferries - Rebecca {P}
Does anyone know of any deals, special offers or internet discount codes for taking the car & family for a weekend to the Isle of Wight? Preferably from Portsmouth or Southampton, and it's a weekend in June (not the festival weekend).

Going rate seems to be £50, but I'd like to do better if I can as there are 3 families going.

Thanks in advance!

Rebecca
Isle of Wight Ferries - Civic8
Have you tried www.wightlink.co.uk/specialoffers/index.htm
--
Steve
Isle of Wight Ferries - Rebecca {P}
Thanks Steve - that's where I got the £50 rough idea from. Their offer is actually £52, but I'm hoping to do better!
Isle of Wight Ferries - Civic8
Rebecca.If you e`mail them explaining-they may give a better deal.My SIL did and was given a slightly larger discount. Dont know how much though.worth a go
--
Steve
Isle of Wight Ferries - blue_haddock
Give www.ferrysavers.co.uk a try - have got good prices from them in the past for other routes so it could be worth a look.
Isle of Wight Ferries - cockle {P}
Rebecca, try Red Funnel, they are offering weekend returns from £42.50 booked online.

www.redfunnel.co.uk

Sadly I don't think you'll get much in the way of discounts. I used to go down two or three times a year 15-20 years ago to visit friends on the island and can't remember ever getting a deal below standard price. Can't answer for today but at that time it was reckoned to be the most expensive crossing in the world on a price per mile basis! Plus the council are also talking about introducing a 'visitor charge' on vehicles to persuade people not to bring their cars across and plough the income into public transport on the island; I suppose now they've seen the congestion charge in London they've got a handy bandwagon to jump on.
Cockle
Isle of Wight Ferries - buzbee
The Ferries from Portsmouth to Fishbourne charge the hotels much less. I go across one or two times each year and the hotels add £28 to the bill. The last time was in January 2005.
Isle of Wight Ferries - Rebecca {P}
Cockle, I've heard that too (most expensive crossing).

Sadly that offer isn't valid for our weekend. I think I will resort to Tesco clubcard vouchers - it will make the fare less painful.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions.
Old Premium Savings Bond - L'escargot
I've just come across my one and only Premium Bond (value £1) that was bought by my parents on 9th November 1956. As an investment it's been a dead loss because I've never won anything with it. It does have sentimental value, however, so I would never cash it in. I wonder how much, by today's values, £1 was worth in 1956. Does any other Backroomer have a bond this old?
--
L\'escargot by name, but not by nature.
Old Premium Savings Bond - Pugugly {P}
www.nationalsavings.co.uk/

eh.net/hmit/ukcompare/

These two sites will twll you whether your bond has ever won or not and what your quid is/was worth in realtive terms to its 1956 value.

Old Premium Savings Bond - L'escargot
www.nationalsavings.co.uk/
eh.net/hmit/ukcompare/
These two sites will twll you whether your bond has ever
won or not and what your quid is/was worth in realtive
terms to its 1956 value.


Thanks Pugugly.

No, it's never won anything. £1 in 1956 would (based on average earnings) have been worth £38.07 in 2002. Knowing my late dad's lowly job it must have been quite a sacrifice for him to have bought all us three kids a premium bond each.
--
L\'escargot by name, but not by nature.
Bank balance error - L'escargot
I receive a monthly written statement from my bank, which I rigorously check. I keep a strict running account of my balance and in the past I have ALWAYS been able to reach complete agreement with every bank statement. However, the last statement shows the balance to be £139 higher than my own records show. Try as I might, I haven?t been able to discover where this discrepancy has crept in but at the moment I am convinced that it is my bank that is in error and not myself. The question is, of course, can I assume that the balance really is as stated by my bank and that the £139 is fully available for me to spend with impunity? In other words, who am I to disagree with how much of my money my bank says they have got? Obviously, if the error were in my bank?s favour I would query it with them. As it is, as honest as I might be, I don?t think that it would be worth the inevitable aggro to take this up with them. I feel that unless they agreed with me, I would be flogging a dead horse to no good purpose.

--
L\'escargot by name, but not by nature.
Bank balance error - Pugugly {P}
The question is, of course, can I assume that the balance really is as stated by my bank and that the £139 is fully available for me to spend with impunity?

No.
Bank balance error - L'escargot
The question is, of course, can I assume that the balance
really is as stated by my bank and that the £139
is fully available for me to spend with impunity?
No.


So who is the definitive authority regarding how much money the bank holds on my behalf?
--
L\'escargot by name, but not by nature.
Bank balance error - mare
So who is the definitive authority regarding how much money the
bank holds on my behalf?


Pass. But someone somewhere is missing £139, and they'll soon notice. Do query it with your bank. It's either money not yet gone out or a credit to your account in error.
Bank balance error - Altea Ego
Take out the 139 quid, stick it in the building society.

Its there is required to pay back later, and in the mean tim eis earning interest.
Bank balance error - SjB {P}
Something similar happened to me once.

Careful scrutiny of statement showed the cause to be a hotel bill, paid electronically (not with a manual paper slip) using my Visa card, not having hit my account.

It did, eventually.
Nine months later!

I have no idea which cyberspace it used in the mean time!!
Bank balance error - Pugugly {P}
If it's the Bank's error and they later find it you will be liable. The same as if you found that they had made a negative error you'd expect them to pay up.
Bank balance error - Chas{P}
Had a similar case a few years ago where I paid in a very small expenses cheque for £8. Ten weeks later a letter came from the bank saying there had been a mistake and they had credited £800 instead.

I made some checks stating what had happened but I had no legal or moral right to hang onto the money.

Made a fuss anyway and paid it back interest free over several months.
How close to german is swiss-german? - PoloGirl
Apologies for having three questions in the same thread - I just know that someone here will always know the answer.

I've volunteered to help with a trip to Switzerland next year. I've been there a couple of times with my family and remember that the german that they speak is not the same as the german that I know, having done it to 1st year undergraduate level, and that many people there also speak french, which I dropped in year 9.

It would look good on my CPD record for work to have taken up a second language again, and I'm keen for that to be german (I really wanted to do british sign language but can't find any courses) as I already know some. How much use will it be to me in Switzerland though, in terms of taking care of a party of young people if there is anything like a medical emergency or some sort of query? Would I be better off polishing up the little french that I know instead? (I know most people in mainland europe speak english anyway, but that's not really the point.)

Thanks

How close to german is swiss-german? - mare
(I really wanted to do british sign language but can't find any courses)

You should be able to get a course, if not BSL at least for Makaton. Roughly where are you in the country? I'll have a look.
How close to german is swiss-german? - mare
Oh, and as to the German, i recall from my GCSE German that (in theory) the Swiss use "High German" for business and SchweizDeutsch at home. The English analogy would be talking colloquically at home / with friends and "properly" at work.

So German German should be fine. Same as French is OK in Southern Belgium and English is OK in the Caribbean.
How close to german is swiss-german? - Welliesorter
I don't know the answer to your question but I presume it'll depend on where in Switzerland you're going. I've only ever been to Geneva, and that seemed to be almost entirely French speaking. For a small country, Switzerland uses a lot of languages. German is the most used, but it's of limited use if you're going to an area where he main language is Italian.

Useful starting points would be www.swissinfo.org and switzerland.isyours.com , which have a huge amount of information about Switzerland. If I recall correctly, the latter contains pretty much the full text of the Rough Guide.

How close to german is swiss-german? - Oz
In a way, with all due respects, it's about as close as Scottish is to English. Somewhat similar applies in Austria and Bavaria.
Where 'high German' is spoken, no problem. The Swiss dialect as I remember seems to have a lot of nouns ending in 'dl' which don't occur in German.
Oz (as was)
How close to german is swiss-german? - ajs
Welliesorter is right. It depends where you're going. I speak next to no German so can't help with dialect, however have visited Switzerland loads of times, so below is some (hopefully helpful) guides to where they speak what:

Around Lakes Geneva (Geneva, Montreux and Lausanne) - French
Rhone valley - from Montreux to about Sion/Sierre - French
Rhone valley beyond - German
Around Interlaken, Bern, Lucern, Zurich, Basle and east- German
Locarno, Lugano and valleys closeby - Italian.

In my experience they all speak German and most also speak some French, so it probably makes little difference which you try.
How close to german is swiss-german? - PoloGirl
Thank you.

At the moment it's a choice between Interlaken and Adelboden (sp?).

Re the sign language - I'm in Basingstoke. The local college used to do it, but they don't appear to any more, and even if they did I'd have to wait until September to find out.

How close to german is swiss-german? - Mike H
My son has a friend who is attending evening classes in sign language. He lives in Haslemere which is not a million miles away from you (more like 30), I could find out where he is learning it which might give some leads to something more local for you? Unfortunately he's just gone off on a school trip for a few days so I can't find out until the end of the week.
Halfords cycle computer - rich1t
I know that this subject has come up before, but I've just dusted my bike off for the summer & found that the battery in the halfords cycle computer has gone flat. I have lost the codes & was wodering if anyone out there has them?
Halfords cycle computer - BobbyG
Bought one not long ago, what codes do you need? For the tyres? If so what are your tyre sizes and I will try and check.
Halfords cycle computer - Robin Reliant
Going by the sizes printed on the side of the tyres is not very accurate, as different makes come up with slight variations. If it is the wheel circumference you need to input, the best way is to pump the wheel with the magnet up to normal pressure and put a blob of paint on the tread then ride the bike a short distance and measure between the two paint marks.

Typically a 700c wheel will come out around 209cm, and it is whatever this figure is you need to calibrate the computer.
Halfords cycle computer - rich1t
there is a code for each tyre size & my tyres are 26.0 x 1.95.
Halfords cycle computer - BobbyG
Rich, the closest I can get is the code for 26x1.9 and the code is 2089.

Hope this helps.
Halfords cycle computer - mfarrow
I've just had a brain wave but it might not work...

First, find a length of road you know to be certain distance (by OS map or whatever). Probably the longer the better, but you don't want to get tired!

Calibrate the computer to the lowest number and cycle down your route. Record the distance it says you covered. Repeat with computer calibrated with highest number. Plot 'number' against 'distance' on a straight-line graph and see what 'number' you need for the actual distance. Program into computer then cycle down the road again just to check :-)

--------------
Mike Farrow
Restrictive Covenent - bikemade3
I know this is not motoring related but i am after some advice so " Back roomers" please let this run for a day or so.

Basically i wish to build a extension to the full width of my house ( 20 ft) and extend it beyound the front face by 6 ft.On reading my Soliciters report from when we bought the house April 2001 i have come across a restrive covenent from the original sale dated March 1983 quote "Not to place or erect any additional structure or permit the growth of any hedge or other means of enclosure in front of the building line of the said dwellinghouse and garage and not within 5 years from the date hereof to erect on any other part of the land hereby transferred any aditional structure whether temporary or otherwise save for a gardenshed or greenhouse of a proprietary type or make any addition or alteration to the exterior of the said dwellinghouse and garage without first having obtained the transferors written cocnsent"

Now i,m no lawyer, and this is full of lawyer "speak" so does this covenent restrict me from building beyond the front face of my house?
And if so how do i go getting it removed
Restrictive Covenent - smokie
After building a low wall around my front garden, I found I might have a restrictive covenant preventing me from doing it. If it was an eyesore I'm sure someone would have reported it by now, and I don't plan selling - which is when problems may arise.

Oh, and keep an eye on the I Have A Question thread, as this is surely where this post will be soon.
Restrictive Covenent - Dwight Van Driver
Not really in my field as it doesn't have four wheels and belch fumes but in one of my many books:

You can challenge a restrictive covenant by applying to lands Tribunal, but it is emphasised to seek a solicitor's advice first.

A tribunal can modify or release from RC if

It has become obsolete through changes in character of property/neighbourhood or for some other material reason.
It is impending reasonable use of the land and either secures no practical benefits of substanbtial value or advantage, or is contraybto the public interest.
None of the persons whose land benefits from it will suffer and they have all agreed - infrrred from their acts or ommissions.

Compensation can be awared by Land Tribunal to the covantee.

Step forward David(HM) and others with more barin power that yours truly but I would suggest that from the onset this is a metter for the wigged ones.

DVD
Restrictive Covenent - Pugugly {P}
Go to the brief that handled your purchase. Have you had/need planning consent ?
Restrictive Covenent - Rishab C
We had a house built on allotments with a restrictive covenant which said only three bungalows could be built, but 1 bungalow and 3 houses were built. We had to take out £1,000,000 worth insurance in case it was ever challenged, the person who made the covenant was never traced, despite steps being taken, which is why the insurance was taken by the developers, as the houses would have to be demolished if he found out!
Restrictive Covenent - bikemade3
I am told by my local council that i need PC however they will initially accept rough sketches ( drawn to scale) that show what you are thinking about doing. As long as the quality is reasonable they give a response in writing ( £30+VAT) and will identify anything that needs to be corrected on the actual plans before they are submitted. However, before i submit my drawings i thought i'ld check our paperwork and it was then i came across this RC. I assume that the council will not be able to see our RC but it is pointless me to submit initial drawings to build a 26 foot wide extension if the RC says it can only be 20 ft wide.
Restrictive Covenent - Bromptonaut
I would, as ever, endorse DVD's advice that this is a matter for lawyers. Although notionally a tribunal the Lands Tribunal is much closer to a court than say a Parking Appeal or Social Security Tribunal. Most parties are legally represented and there is a power to award costs on the winner pays loser basis that prevails in the courts. Not a field for he fainthearted.

If you want to "bone up" the standard legal textbook on the subject is Preston & Newsom?s Restrictive Covenants Affecting Freehold Land, probably available from a decent reference library

There may also be some useful information on the Lands Tribunal website at www.landstribunal.gov.uk
Restrictive Covenent - Altea Ego
"extend beyond the front face"

This is possibly a problem, covenent or no. Are you saying that you wish to build beyond the front line of your house? Is yours one of a few houses?

If so you are building beyond the "building line" and as such will have severe problems getting it through planning permission.
Restrictive Covenent - martint123
Certinly round here, it is extrememly rare to get planning permission to build in front of the standard building line.
Restrictive Covenent - Pugugly {P}
That's why I asked the question.
Restrictive Covenent - ajs
The covenant and planning permission are entirely separate issues.

I am guessing that contacting your solicitor or whoever would benefit from the covenant (likely to be the original developer or his successor) would answer your question. I am not a lawyer either.

You would almost definitely need planning permission as it comes forward of the front building line of your property.

I would suggest ringing the Council and speaking informally to a planning officer, who should be able to give some general advice and may be able to confirm if you need planning permission over the phone (I would expect them to be a bit vague, however, especially if they think you might not). If they don't, ask if they have any supplementary planning guidance on house extensions and, if not, what Local Plan policies are in place. This should give you an idea about what may/may not be acceptable.

This website is also very good for some general advice and has many local plans from around the country: www.planningportal.gov.uk.

Good luck
Restrictive Covenent - Happy Blue!
As AJS has said; do not confuse Planning Permission with permission from the beneficiary of the restrictive covenant.

The RC is very recent and it is unlikely that the Lands Tribunal will ease it under any circumstances. They may do so for money, but the beneficiary will almost certainly object probably on the grounds of 'good estate management' - a reasonable defence if the area is recently built and they want it to remain tidy. Also they may have obligations to other owners and do not want to be in breach with them.

Chat to the planner, but be aware that it is very unusual to obtain consent to extend forwards unless there is a good reason for doing so and it look right. There are many precedents for it, but mainly shop fronts projecting forwards by a couple of feet under a flat roof, and probably done decades ago; on a modern housing estate - highly unlikely unless you were filling in a portion between a projecting garage and a bay window.

The Lands Tribunal will take account that PP has been obtained, but it does not force their at all.

Speak to a specialist property lawyer - if you purchasing lawyer is a conveyencer he may be able to help - also go to see a chartered surveyor who will aoso be able to assist initially and prepare a breif for a case to the LT.
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Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
Restrictive Covenent - mare
I do a spot of development, here's my 2p worth.

The planners will take no notice of the covenant. That said, you need to ensure that you will breach the covenant or risk it being enforced. As Espada III has mentioned, it's quite a recent covenant so it's likely to be relevant.

Going to the Land Tribunal may be jumping the gun. Find out who has the benefit (it should say on the Land Registry entry) and consider sounding them out. You may be pleasantly surprised, but then again maybe not. Assess the likelihood of the covenant holder spotting your development. If it's a neighbour, they will probably be consulted and probably witness the development first hand. You may be able to negotiate the covenant out, but you will have work out how much it is worth to you.

As for planning, before you submit (and this depends where you live), find out if the parish council has a planning guy. They will be consulted and sometimes can be a nuisance, so best to get these people on your side beforehand. Ditto residents association / conservation trust if you are in conservation area.

Good luck!
Restrictive Covenent - Pugugly {P}
The covenant and planning permission are entirely separate issues

Yes - I know that but if the Planning Permission is going to be a major (insurmountable) issue there's no point spending a packet on the covenent problem.
Restrictive Covenent - Dynamic Dave
I know this is not motoring related


Hence why it's been moved here.
Restrictive Covenent - mare
"Now i,m no lawyer, and this is full of lawyer "speak" so does this covenent restrict me from building beyond the front face of my house?"

I'm not a lawyer either, but having re-read the covenant that you have posted it appears to be one of those covenants that attempts to control development on the estate in other words a "don't do anything to affect the neighbourhood" covenant.

It does not explicitly restrict you from building, but it does require you to get the consent of whoever has the benefit of the covenant to do so.

Therefore, before you go for planning, find out who has the benefit of the covenant and sound them out. That would be my first port of call.

You don't say whether or not you are on an estate, but if you are then the covenant holder is likely to be the original developer, or their successor.
Restrictive Covenent - Hugo {P}
I can concur with a couple of answers here.

We are in the process of buying a property that is subject to a restrictive covenant prohibiting an extention in the back garden. This was a condition of sale of some land at the back of the property to the owner of the house itself.

We have been advised by our solicitor to contact the beneficiaries of the covenant prior to doing anything, should we wish to extend, which won't be in the short term.

He even drafted the wording in a letter that he felt they should sign should they agree to it. In our case I suspect the current owners of the benifiting properties don't even know of its existence.

His advice that a letter from the current owners, relaxing the covenant, maybe restricting the size of the extention, would suffice. We are considering proposing an extension of the same size of the one two doors down, which will give the beneficiaries a visable benchmark.

H