Dilemma

diplomaticandtactful

diplomaticandtactful

Well-Known Member
Apr 25, 2003
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We have had an ongoing issue with access to our house, There is a shared road leading to ours and three others. the house which is on this access road built their stables on their parking places and now park on the road itself making it narrower - you wouldn't get a fire tender up there. they park their muck trailer on the road as well and a horsebox. It was one of the reasons the house didn't sell as folks were put off by it.

The horsebox they had fitted the gap between our two gates and backed onto our garage wall which is the boundary. They have recently been subletting their field to a third party a very rude woman. Yesterday her horsebox turned up and is parked in the road. It is much bigger than the one the neighbours had and sold a year ago, so for a while only their muck trailer was parked there. They have 2 parking spaces for their cars but they often have 4 parked all over the place.

Not only does the box now block the entrance to the bottom gate to our house but she drives a large range rover which she dumps completely blocking the gate and her partner hsa a large pickup which is too long for the two parking spaces the owners use. So we now have three large vehicles and one non owned pony in residence. I was actually clearing the yard at the bottom gate as we are hosting on a regular basis Fresh Start for Hens rehoming, we have 250 hens showing up in June to be rehomed and the van they will arrive in needs to come in that gate to unload, and then the adopters will drive in our other gate and park on OUR yard so we cause no issues and collect their hens.

I asked the pickup guy who is the partner of the box owner how long it was going to there for. He said it's c's box....well he is her bloody partner. Anyway i got a facebook message last night from our neighbour. which makes things even worse

"C was saying that u need the lorry moved for something being done. Just let me know when you need that and I’ll shift it to the front for you. Am gonna share her lorry with her now instead of getting another one myself just yet until H gets herself a new horse. Hopefully she’ll be eventing again this time next year
🙏
🤞
. Many thanks Louise"

So every time i want to use our gateway I am expected to ask them to move their box? And other vehicles. We have been pretty tolerant over the years but now you can't get a vehicle in the lower gate as the box over shoots the entrance by about 4ft! If i rang the fire brigade they would get them to move it as you can't get a fire tender up to any of the houses due to how they are using the lane as a parking space not a road and i would be hard pushed to get my own box out of our yard if i parked it there and not at the stables. The fire brigade would also make them move the muck trailer which would cause them untold problem as there is nowhere to put it plus their own vehicles.

Furious doesn't come close. they are the sort of folks who give an inch they take three miles. I don't want a major war but i can't let this go.IMG-20210601-WA0001.jpg20210601_135630.jpg20210601_113109.jpg
 
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We have a private road behnd our house which has fortuitously become parking for staff at a nearby special school. Unless parking restirctions are in place, I dont think one can prevent this on a private road. If your access is impaired you need to consult a professional. Citizens Advice, a local councillor or a lawyer.
 
Skib said:
We have a private road behnd our house which has fortuitously become parking for staff at a nearby special school. Unless parking restirctions are in place, I dont think one can prevent this on a private road. If your access is impaired you need to consult a professional. Citizens Advice, a local councillor or a lawyer.
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It is an access road only to 4 houses, i am getting the original planning application when they applied to build the stables and hay store as this essentially removed their parking spaces and see if there are any constraints put on it.
 
I’d just reply to the message and politely say you need to maintain access to that gate at all times in case you need emergency services and for your routine use. If they think you’re just wanting it as a one off they’ll keep blocking it. I don’t know your set up but could you purposefully use it once a week or so to make the point?
 
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Jessey said:
I’d just reply to the message and politely say you need to maintain access to that gate at all times in case you need emergency services and for your routine use. If they think you’re just wanting it as a one off they’ll keep blocking it. I don’t know your set up but could you purposefully use it once a week or so to make the point?
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what i can do is develop the area outside it further as a garden will post pictures later. Also they are probably in breach of planning as well. But would rather not go down the formal route, will speak to her husband, he will be horrified as he foresees the repercussions in a way she doesn't. She tends to just steam ahead and do stuff, adopting a Soi dog which was pts after 4 months as they couldn't manage it, they have 4 out of control German shepherds who they let run from their house loose up through a neighbours garden and field to their field. While they have a right of access, access should be responsible.....
 
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From the response to date they are going to continue to block everywhere as they claim they have parked their box there for over 20 years but this is not their box, it belongs to someone else and they are offering her livery which they are not allowed to do. I have contacted our lawyers and will also see about developing our garden outside the gate on our land and make it harder for them to park. It's very silly, but i have to protect our property and its access for when we sell it as while we don't use this gate, another person might need or want to and it is our gate! One thing i can do is on the left of the gate, I can put in a raised flower bed and i have a huge metal trellis which I can attach to the side of the garage wall and also put on the back of the garage wall which they are parking against. Just by adding in that few inches to grow a clematis over the building will make the horse box block the entire access road including getting to where they dump any of their five cars for which they have 2 spaces. Essentially what htey are doing is using the communal access road as their own space with a muck trailer horsebox and five cars so i can hardly get our box out from our house. I can also put some posts in whch will stop them parking to the right of the silver car - owned by the livery person -so they can't park on my verge - they have put stones on their front verge but happily park on mine. Total idiots. If it gets bloody petty will park my own car in front of my own gate which means they have to ask ME to move the car to get out. But would rather not go down that route. Gardening efforts cannot be complained about, so creative gardening will just make it a bit more difficult by putting the trellis beyond the gate and curving it around to stick out a bit.20210601_113043.jpg
 

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I'm confused about the gate. Is this an access point to your land? Do you need to use the gate to get in and out of your property? Or is this a gate that is out of use and you are objecting on principle? There is nothing wrong with not wanting them to block access to your property but if there is limited parking and this is a gate that is never used, I can understand them thinking that it is OK to park there. Perhaps they don't realise how much this has upset you? Would a friendly chat sort it out rather than getting lawyers involved? It could be a simple misunderstanding.
 
Mary Poppins said:
I'm confused about the gate. Is this an access point to your land? Do you need to use the gate to get in and out of your property? Or is this a gate that is out of use and you are objecting on principle? There is nothing wrong with not wanting them to block access to your property but if there is limited parking and this is a gate that is never used, I can understand them thinking that it is OK to park there. Perhaps they don't realise how much this has upset you? Would a friendly chat sort it out rather than getting lawyers involved? It could be a simple misunderstanding.
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It is used not every day but it is used and if at any time the house was sold separately from the stables down at the yard, the stable block up at the house would come into use again. They have created the limited parking themselves by converting their garage and parking spaces into stables which open straight out onto the communal entrance driveway to four properties, The other three have plenty of parking, this one did but over the years they have bought more and more horses and got rid of the parking. They have two vehicles themselves, their two girls have 2 cars and their partners have two cars and now this livery person has put the horsebox there and parks HER car as well so at any time there are 2-7 cars plus a muck trailer and a 7.5 tonne horse box now in an alleyway which is supposed to be drive through to the three other houses. Their field is through one of the properties, they could have put their stables up there but it's up a hill so they built them down at the house. They could add 3 parking spaces by getting rid of their front garden and using their verge but prefer just to clutter up the driveway with their vehicles and the rest of us have to get around them. If i had my box up at the house, the only way i could get out would be driving on the pavement outside their house, i.e. two wheels on that tilted and two on the road with Buddy inside, which of course I am not going to do. They just constantly chisel away give them an inch and they take three miles.
 
Well we have asked to talk to them about it, but no one has been in touch, so now in hands of our lawyers for advice. The deeds clearly say that all 4 houses have a right of 'access' but what is happening is that one house is annexing the communal area and using it as if it is their own property. And sadly we have to protect our rights for when we sell in future or spend a lot of money widening the entrance at the other end for vehicles and closing off that one.
 
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Interesting development yesterday. They have still not contacted us but they have had the muck trailer emptied and parked it the other side of our main entrance where the red car is and the livery person is parking her car where the muck trailer was! Horsebox still blocking gate and where the muck trailer is now will annoy the other two neighbours as while cars have been parked there they at least move! It will also be in full view from the house round the back and in full view of the house beyond where the red car is and which is currently for sale so not assisting their prospects. As you can see they have 4 vehicles parked in the roadway, often up to 7 and are essentially annexing the road as part of their own property as they only have 2 spaces for cars as they have built stables and feed stores and other things and removed their parking while the other 3 properties have big yards and don't encroach. 20210602_105815.jpg20210602_105848.jpg20210602_105831.jpg
 
Yesterday we had the pickup up, freelander and horsebox all blocking our gates, including the ramp of the horsebox across our main gateway. the pickup blocked our secondary gate, the freelander was on our grass verge and sticking out into the roadway and when we tried to get out had to dodge around the ramp which was down. They are essentially taking over the entire road. Kids and dogs playing there last night as they cleaned stuff from the horse box using our main entrance gateway. Getting increasingly pissed off.
 
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diplomaticandtactful said:
Yesterday we had the pickup up, freelander and horsebox all blocking out gates, including the ramp of the horsebox across our main gateway. the pickup blocked our secondary gate, the freelander was on our grass very and sticking out into the roadway and when we tried to get out had to dodge around the ramp which was down. They are essentially taking over the entire road. Kids and dogs playing there last night as they cleaned stuff from the horse box using our main entrance gateway. Getting increasingly pissed off.
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That's not on.
 
Huggy said:
That's not on.
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Er no, today's task is to clean out front garden area and put up posts to stop them parking on the grass- they have grass on the other side with posts up so they don't park on theirs!

I have contacted lawyers for advice as the deeds say that the four properties have access rights and a servitude to maintain the driveway pro rata. Access is not the same as annexing it and parking on it, they had 4 car parking spaces but got rid of two. I spoke to the neighbour whose house is on the market and outside whose gate they have now parked the muck trailer. He is spitting feathers, he has a viewing this weekend and several people have turned it down due to the access and the vehicles and the fact that we and the numpty neighbour have access rights across his land. Ours are pedestrian and equestrian as one of our gates to the field is on his land, we rarely use it. And if we want to bring up a big bale of hay we go and ask first, ditto when we wanted to drive up and dump all the mud control mats at the field shelter, we asked first.

I am keeping a diary for the lawyers. The numpty neighbours did make a low offer on his property, but he would never sell to them. They open the door, let their three German shepherds run out, up the road, through his property, up his paddock and then they go into their field. One of these dogs has already savaged two dogs, including a dog belonging to the person selling, which is why he would never sell to them. They wanted to buy it not for their own use, but to turn it into a livery business. They have a field on a steep hill, about 3 acres! They already have this one livery and i imagine they would have about 6 more! Planning would never be given due to the access road as it is not suitable and also these are private houses with land, not small holdings, so would require a change of use etc. Which wouldn't be granted given the access issues already.

Once i hear from the lawyers, i may the next time they move the box park my car there so they can't get the box back in and they can take up 1 mile up the road where the owner of it lives - and where she has to park it right across the front of the house blocking out two of the windows.....It's not my fault that folks decide to live in places that don't suit their needs - they could park it in the field where they have the rest of their horses, would need to put mud control mats or hardcore down and widen the gate but it could be done.

If i get the fire brigade involved due to the fire tender being unable to access our house, then they would probably have to move the muck trailer as well, which would really cause them hassle. I would like it moved but am not that punitive but believe me if they keep encroaching and pushing I will.
 
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And the Freelander is back on the grass verge. Have ordered no parking signs, about to go and paint some stones and tree stakes to put on the verge. I went and weeded the front border which has nice trees and shrubs, felt like just leaving all the rubbish there given what they are doing.
 
Don't paint the stones, let them find them and do some damage to their cars in the process. As for the rubbish, like @MrC I'd be knocking on their door demanding they move it now.

Can you and your other neighbours get together to present a united front on this and maybe get some combined legal advice?
 
The one neighbour who would is the one who is moving. The other one is round the back and therefore only sees it when they go out i.e. it isn't so close by. I have legal insurance via our NFU policy so it is already in their hands, just waiting to hear. I really don't want WW3 but if they are using the field as a livery even for 1 horse then they are in breach of the planning. And it would open a whole can of worms for them.
 
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I’m with @carthorse I absolutely would not be painting stones or anything else, just put up your no parking signs and let them damage their cars, to be honest I’d be parking my car in anyway I could to block them in so they had to ask me to move before they could go anywhere, I’d also be using that gateway every day too, at least twice, I’m sure they’d soon get sick of moving their vehicles. Stuff like this annoys me too but the trouble with folk like them is they don’t care and they certainly won’t be losing any sleep over it!
 
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