Contact the council planning dept. , if your permission is being sought by them it must mean that plans/drawings have been submitted . They should be able to take you through everything that the building work will entail , including an idea of how it's going to affect you and your property in terms of disruption etc. . They're a disinterested party and are employed to help . Plus I don't think you're going to give permission till you know exactly what your neighbours are intending , so hopefully if you let the planners know this they'll fill you in on all the details . If this doesn't work I've got a mate who works for the planning dept. , I'll pick his brains .....
