SORN - park on private road

[Mr Dripping]

I have a second car which I haven't used at all since the start of this Covid nonsense. It is uninsured, the MOT has expired and on SORN, but the car is roadworthy - I've given it the occasional run up and down the driveway.

I have a seemingly-private road adjacent to my house with car parking spaces. There is nothing to delineate who can/cannot park there. It's typically used by people parking during the daytime who work in nearby offices. There is plenty of space.

The road has street name signs in the font of our local authority - but access is via a gate (which is sometimes closed but never locked - although I suppose it could be locked with a padlock). The road (street name) does not appear on the local authority's website as an adopted highway which they maintain. It is a cul-de-sac and only serves some other nearby houses.

I could do with freeing up the driveway space. What would there be (legally) to prevent me from parking my uninsured, SORNed car, for an extended period of time, tucked away in one of the parking spaces at the back on this road?

I cannot see it getting in anyone's way. I could always leave my details on the dashboard if it does.

[Mr Dripping]

blueg33 said:

Keep gate closed, park on driveway

The gate is to access the private road next to the house.

My driveway itself doesn't have a gate. Does this mean it is 'publicly accessible' and I'd need to insure any old detritus I have rotting on it, because someone could feasibly do a three point turn reversing into my driveway and collide with the uninsured car?

[Mr Dripping]

sherman said:

If the owner finds an abandonded car on their private land, whats to stop them getting their friendly scrapoy to remove it from their property?

Why not knock on the door of the houses up the lane and ask the owners if its ok to do it ?

Hard to tell who the 'owner' of the private land is.

The car park attached to the private road serves a couple of blocks of flats. There is no signage up with parking restrictions/claim over land ownership. It is also directly next door to my house - my land deeds don't cover it, but there seems to be nothing to stop me parking one of my insured cars there (which I sometimes do when we have visitors).

I'm sure I could park the SORNed car there and there would be zero chance of anything going wrong, but I'd rather not get angry letters from the DVLA.

(There is another abandoned Merc C220 Coupe there on Italian plates with flat tyres which has sat there since I moved in 4 years ago. No angry notes, clamps or anything.)

[Mr Dripping]

donkmeister said:

On the insurance side of things, laid-up insurance is a thing. I pay about £50 a year for mine, it's essentially "arson and theft only" insurance for SORN cars, it doesn't cover RTA stuff. That's on my own land, but a conversation with a laid-up insurance provider will reveal if they are content to cover it on a private road.

I never knew about that - thanks. Will have a look.

Alternatively, I could just insure and use the old bus...it has a full tank of petrol which equals a 'free' holiday in the Highlands (whenever that's possible)...

[Mr Dripping]

Thanks for your advice all. I've ended up insuring the car anyway as it's a shame to let the old shed go to rack and ruin.

TPFT - where is the Council thread...