Help - Council Trying To Stop Me Parking My Cars On My Drive

[eccles]

it does rather look like you are just parking cars in your front garden, and not just on your drive.
IMHO it would look a lot neater if you block paved the area (or got a pikey tarmac gang in), and parked the cars neatly.

having said that, i totally sypathise with your plight.

[pmanson]

What wheels are they on the MX5 parked by the VR6? Like the look.

[thanuk]

redgriff500 said:

I did park them further back and they complained I was parking cars in my garden.

I did point out you don't need planning to extend your drive...

I'd put a temporary fence up but they object to that to...

anyone who doesn't work 9-5 and get their car serviced by a dealer etc is considered a problem...

Who's doing the complaining here? I thought you said the neighbours were OK, this post makes it sound like they're not so OK after all.

[redgriff500]

My immediate (3 over the road, 3 to the left of me) are fine and we have a chat regularly.

I don't know the others and the council refuse to say who, or how many are complaining... but most of the area was happy to have free slabs and logs when I was giving them away.

But it is an 'old biddy' area and they don't like change - been told this by the police and council.

Just wait 'til I put in the planning for my new house... I expect petitions and everything !

[redgriff500]

pmanson said:

What wheels are they on the MX5 parked by the VR6? Like the look.

They are 16" SSR Type V, Very light, semi forged alloys, cost £250+ each, I don't like the look of them so open to offers !

[redgriff500]

I guess we've covered this all now, so unless someone else has some cracking advice I suggest we get back to talking about cars in the other threads.

Thanks

[Parrot of Doom]

I'd stick one car in the garage, and squeeze another couple of cars down the back of the house. I'd also consider putting a driveway gate somewhere down the side of the house and cleaning up the grass a little. I doubt anyone would complain then.

[headcase]

It seems to me that you love your cars, but why so many? You obviously cant use them all at once, Why not get rid of the many and get yourself a good Sports piped Cerb, now that will give them something to complain about! Where I live, there is a 'No commercial vehicle' clause, now it was an issue when I moved in because I have a 54 Renult Traffic parked on the driveway, until they all discovered how usefull I am, funnly enough the problem has seem to have dissapeared.

[4WD]

We live down a very tidy street and have been here since new, over ten years now. Everyone has two cars, on their two car driveway.

Last year a builder type moved in along the road. He paved over his front lawn and put four vehicles outside. Fair enough, they are on his property but it is out of keeping. One is a huge transit van, with a large estate for his work gear, plus two normal cars. As the grass has gone it means viewed next to his neigbours, there are six vehicles parked in a row. It looks like a carpark, not a residential garden. I wouldn't complain, but it's not ideal! Any further bright ideas like this from new owners moving in to our road and it'll start affecting the view and hence prices. It doesn't take many to ruin an area.

Sometimes it might be an idea to bear other's in mind.

Edited by 4WD on Thursday 3rd August 19:56

[redgriff500]

4WD said:

Sometimes it might be an idea to bear other's in mind.

I have gone out of my way to do that... look at the pics, I took a vacant house surrounded by 45+ ft laylandi and spent a fortune to make it nice, admittedly I haven't finished the front but I can't due to the council planners (being difficult with my new application)

I have made various suggestions and would just like to be left alone...

I like looking at cars... others don't...

I don't like kids, old people, fat people... but hey I have to put up with them... I don't think I'm asking too much for them to put up with me.

Oh and I had a TVR... hence the name... but I couldn't put up with the constant breakdowns, so I sold it and kept the MX5's, not quite as quick, but very reliable. Turbo's making around 240bhp.

[Xaero]

I wish I had a fleet and house like that!
I can see the point of the complaints, it doesn't look in keeping, but if you got that planning permission you could well make it look a lot neater, maybe worth mentioning to the council as it could potentially cause the complaint to be retracted.

[raceface]

Should have kept the leylandi; no-one would see your cars then!

How about some camoflage netting from an army surples store?

Could you get an MX5 onto the spare pick-up?

Seriously though, hope you get it resolved. Not nice having the quiet enjoyment of your home infringed.

[king herald]

Yep, it looks a bit messy for a high dollar area. As you say there's building work needs finishing in the front, and a metre tall wall will hide the MX5s and make it all look a lot better.
I bet you wish you'd kept the trees, as you could have done what the hell you liked behind them

[J111]

redgriff500 said:

I believe that your letter may contravene the Data Protection Act and also Article 1 of the Human Rights Act, please confirm that it doesn't.

It doesn't contravene the HRA. The law is firmly on their side:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/de

There may be a DPA issue over the request for mortgage details, that does seem odd. Probably worth a chat with a solicitor.

redgriff500 said:

I am unaware of any law that restricts the number of vehicles an individual is entitled to own or park upon his own property, but if such legislation exists, please forward me the relevant details.

They're citing the requirement for planning permission from change of use to car storage.

redgriff500 said:

You mention ‘Car Storage’ how does this differ from ‘Car Parking’ please supply a legal definition.

Car parks are commercial ventures. Car storage may be any area where cars are stored, commercially or otherwise.

redgriff500 said:

I am still unaware that this is illegal.

It's, they're arguing, a breach of planning requirements.

redgriff500 said:

I have 2 P100 pick ups and a Mercedes Sprinter van which I use in the course of my employment as a self employed property developer, but I also use them to move my Jetskis and trail bikes so they are used for both business and personal use.

Tread very carefully with this one. Many properties are covenanted against the use of driveways for commercial vehicles. Contrary to what was stated above, any interested party can endeavour to enforce a covenant, it is not solely in the hands of the initial developer.

redgriff500 said:

In conclusion should there be any requirement to limit the number of vehicles I can park on my drive, I would have no alternative than to park them in the road, which I would be loathe to do as that would inconveinience my neighbours, increase the risk of road accidents and increase the risk of theft / damage to my vehicles.

You can't park a vehicle under a SORN on the road.

Since you are seeking planning permission, I strongly suggest a conciliatory approach. Happiness does not lie in pissing off the local planners if you're ever planning to put in an application or have one in the works.

I'm not a planner. I'm in business with one and we've made numerous applications over the past few years. Softly softly catchee monkey every time. (I'm a little surprised that, as a builder, you've got into this mess. Is there backstory ? Previous run ins with planning enforcement ?)

Edited by J111 on Friday 4th August 00:16

[redgriff500]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/de

There's quite a bit of difference between that pic and mine !

'They're citing the requirement for planning permission from change of use to car storage.'

But I'm saying that there isn't any such car storage

'Car parks are commercial ventures'

Not Car parks, car parking - which I am allowed.

'It's, they're arguing, a breach of planning requirements'

I get that but I'm arging it isn't 'storage' therefore no breech.

'Many properties are covenanted against the use of driveways for commercial vehicles'

I know but mine is old and there is no covenent, plus the previous owner ran a laundry business from here.

'You can't park a vehicle under a SORN on the road'

I know I was going to park the 4 taxed vehicles in the road.

'Since you are seeking planning permission, I strongly suggest a conciliatory approach'

I know I guess... you should have seen the first few drafts !

'Softly softly catchee monkey every time'

I used to be a land buyer for various housing co.s and am sick of their U turns and incompetence... we pretty much always have to appeal and we pretty much always won, so we were right and they were wrong but it cost us a year and £1000's

Planning is a pretty crappy service.

But thanks for the advice.

[pdV6]

OK - maybe its time for some camoflage?

Perhaps clear the garage and put 1 or 2 of the SORNed cars in there out of sight (can't tell from the pics how big the garage is).

Maybe plant a nice thick hedge (laurel?) along the front to hide the overspill, leaving just the daily driver + one other on the drive in front of the garage and the vans where they are.

Maybe also lose the more knackered of the P100s as 2 seems to be overkill?

[Spoonman]

Had something vaguely similar a few years back, when the council told me to apply for planning permission when I parked a stolen-recovered car in the front garden of my house. I wrote back basically saying it was a garden ornament and I'd keep it wherever I wanted. They shut up.

Turned out it was someone from the council's planning dept who drove past my house on the way to work who'd made the objection.

Having said that, I also received a letter from the VOA demanding entry to my house for revaluation as a commercial property. So I wrote back with a legally threatening letter and they shut up.

In that case it was the neighbours who didn't like me having too many cars, and informed the VOA that my house was being used as a used car forecourt (it wasn't). Like yours, I'd restored my house from a wreck, and the neighbours were simply jealous.

One other thought is the age of your house. Surely too old to be affected by planning requirements as stated?

[superlightr]

Can understand your delemma. I want to have a small tank - armoured car on our drive and 2 cars but (wife wont let me at the moment) Im in a residential area so bound to have complaints and it wont fit in the garage - cos its full of junk but too big anyway.

I would go with the camoflage advice ie. Grow a neat hedge in the front, fence if possible for the van (s), couple of nice pots plants/trees in the front for the feel good bling factor and Certainly I would put 1 or 2 cars on the road and bobs your uncle.

It looks like a party house! You could always put a flag pole and flag in front garden to wind them up.

[Mr Beckerman]

Stubby Pete said:

How about this




No planning required as temporary structure!!

Unfortunately, not. After 28 days (I think) it would require planning permission. From memory of our meeting with the planning department, you get 28 days per year per 'container' in one place?

Going through this at the moment with a load of containers used for firework storage, although luckily, the local authority like us. Funnily enough planning couldn't give a monkies what's inside them (in our case)

Back on topic, I think I'd go for a low hedge just to take the eye level view away. Also keeps the nosey beggars from looking in your windows on their way past. Nice place though.

[Twincam16]

Couldn't you put the least-used cars in a lockup?

I mean, seriously, how often do you drive each particular car? Surely the council can understand to P100s on your drive as they're part of your business, and I suppose you could put one (or two - dunno how far back your garage goes) cars in the garage, then all you need to do is hire a double lock-up somewhere (get the right one and you can probably fit four MX-5s in it, I reckon).

Also - any neighbours without cars? Some might not be totally averse to you parking on their drive.