Anyone applied for a dropped kerb?

Lestratcaster

Guitar_Slinger said:

What a kerfuffle!  Afton this thread, smells like all our councils have their own twists on it.

Although mine (Barnet) also had a requirement to prove the water wouldn't be draining from my drive to the public highway.  Easy to prove, as my drive front garden is uphill and there's a grid next to my front door.

Yep, been really stressful this week. 

I can't see how they would say we don't meet requirements as the slope clearly will allow any surface water to run AWAY from the pavement.

boogieman

Lestratcaster said:

boogieman said:

Lestratcaster said:

strtdv said:

Who stipulates that? Is it a term in the leasehold agreement? Or was it the council?

The council, when the application was approved they sent out the guidelines and we must have got confused with the wall being the sides, and not the front of the property. As the turnaround from the contractor doing the drive was very quick we didn't actually show him this plus the drawing we sent into the council which showed the walls.

I shouldn't think it would take long/cost much to build a 600mm wall though?

Its meant to look like this:



PS this isn't my house its what they want, the stupid law with the wall requirement makes it now impossible for us to get 2 cars in the drive, is it a visual aesthetic or what? Our plan was to get one wall up, as it said in the guidelines "A wall" meaning it can be 1, not strictly, 2.

How can the council dictate what you do within your own property boundaries? I take it the house isn’t listed or in a conservation area? Apart from looking ridiculous, those pointless walls limit what you can do with parking. (Or is that their point?) 

You tell me lol. I don't know where that house is it must be in a terraced block (turning space perhaps) with their neighbours having a drive too. These guidelines of having a 600mm high wall came into place last year. Our neighbours who had their drive done in 2015 didn't need to put a wall as it wasn't a requirement. But yes its total bs as it won't allow us to get 2 cars in.

They've also said we haven't installed a drainage system which we clearly have (and sent in a photo). The drive slopes slightly towards the house to allow for any water to keep off the pavement. What else are we meant to do?

I can’t see what purpose the walls serve either, apart from limiting your access. It does sound like just interference for the sake of it. I’d be tempted to build them and then take them out once they’ve inspected the job.  

Lestratcaster

boogieman said:

Lestratcaster said:

boogieman said:

Lestratcaster said:

strtdv said:

Who stipulates that? Is it a term in the leasehold agreement? Or was it the council?

The council, when the application was approved they sent out the guidelines and we must have got confused with the wall being the sides, and not the front of the property. As the turnaround from the contractor doing the drive was very quick we didn't actually show him this plus the drawing we sent into the council which showed the walls.

I shouldn't think it would take long/cost much to build a 600mm wall though?

Its meant to look like this:



PS this isn't my house its what they want, the stupid law with the wall requirement makes it now impossible for us to get 2 cars in the drive, is it a visual aesthetic or what? Our plan was to get one wall up, as it said in the guidelines "A wall" meaning it can be 1, not strictly, 2.

How can the council dictate what you do within your own property boundaries? I take it the house isn’t listed or in a conservation area? Apart from looking ridiculous, those pointless walls limit what you can do with parking. (Or is that their point?) 

You tell me lol. I don't know where that house is it must be in a terraced block (turning space perhaps) with their neighbours having a drive too. These guidelines of having a 600mm high wall came into place last year. Our neighbours who had their drive done in 2015 didn't need to put a wall as it wasn't a requirement. But yes its total bs as it won't allow us to get 2 cars in.

They've also said we haven't installed a drainage system which we clearly have (and sent in a photo). The drive slopes slightly towards the house to allow for any water to keep off the pavement. What else are we meant to do?

I can’t see what purpose the walls serve either, apart from limiting your access. It does sound like just interference for the sake of it. I’d be tempted to build them and then take them out once they’ve inspected the job.  

I reckon its to stop people getting 2 cars in mainly. Ok yes turning space but there should still be enough there as they allow extra when they mark the road with a yellow bar to turn in/out.

gavin_axecaster

I suspect that's exactly the reason. Round here a house like that is likely to have two cars parked straight on, meaning one or both have to go over part of the regular kerb/footpath to gain access, potentially casing damage to the kerb/pavement. Also some front gardens aren't long/deep enough for a saloon/SUV to be parked straight without hanging over the pavement causing an obstruction. Ensuring access for only one car at an angle stops this.

FazTheWookie

boogieman said:

Lestratcaster said:

boogieman said:

Lestratcaster said:

strtdv said:

Who stipulates that? Is it a term in the leasehold agreement? Or was it the council?

The council, when the application was approved they sent out the guidelines and we must have got confused with the wall being the sides, and not the front of the property. As the turnaround from the contractor doing the drive was very quick we didn't actually show him this plus the drawing we sent into the council which showed the walls.

I shouldn't think it would take long/cost much to build a 600mm wall though?

Its meant to look like this:



PS this isn't my house its what they want, the stupid law with the wall requirement makes it now impossible for us to get 2 cars in the drive, is it a visual aesthetic or what? Our plan was to get one wall up, as it said in the guidelines "A wall" meaning it can be 1, not strictly, 2.

How can the council dictate what you do within your own property boundaries? I take it the house isn’t listed or in a conservation area? Apart from looking ridiculous, those pointless walls limit what you can do with parking. (Or is that their point?) 

You tell me lol. I don't know where that house is it must be in a terraced block (turning space perhaps) with their neighbours having a drive too. These guidelines of having a 600mm high wall came into place last year. Our neighbours who had their drive done in 2015 didn't need to put a wall as it wasn't a requirement. But yes its total bs as it won't allow us to get 2 cars in.

They've also said we haven't installed a drainage system which we clearly have (and sent in a photo). The drive slopes slightly towards the house to allow for any water to keep off the pavement. What else are we meant to do?

I can’t see what purpose the walls serve either, apart from limiting your access. It does sound like just interference for the sake of it. I’d be tempted to build them and then take them out once they’ve inspected the job.  

Or build the 600mm wall on rails so you can slide it from one side to the other! :-D

Lestratcaster

gavin_axecaster said:

I suspect that's exactly the reason. Round here a house like that is likely to have two cars parked straight on, meaning one or both have to go over part of the regular kerb/footpath to gain access, potentially casing damage to the kerb/pavement. Also some front gardens aren't long/deep enough for a saloon/SUV to be parked straight without hanging over the pavement causing an obstruction. Ensuring access for only one car at an angle stops this.

Also our road is a resident permit area so they don't want to have to give up another bay by scrubbing two marked lines out instead of one. Still, I reckon if the old regulations were still in place where there was no wall needed we could get 2 cars in with a 2.4m wide opening.

Lestratcaster

Just an update on this, we constructed the wall in December, and sent the photos in to the local highways. Unsurprisingly we got an autoreply message saying they're out of office, and it got to 24th Jan and still no reply. Sent a second message and again, an out of office reply.

We actually had to visit them for the THIRD time to ask what was going on. Apparently the application is being processed and everything has been approved. We will be sent the costs, agreement form in due course.

This whole process has been stressful. It all started in June 2018 would you believe!

57Deluxe

many a time I have written to the council about the rise of dropped kebabs...

Dominic

Guitar_Slinger said:

What a kerfuffle!  Afton this thread, smells like all our councils have their own twists on it.

Although mine (Barnet) also had a requirement to prove the water wouldn't be draining from my drive to the public highway.  Easy to prove, as my drive front garden is uphill and there's a grid next to my front door.

We 're Hadley Wood ,so also Barnet .......this is a standard London Borough policy and has been for 40 years or more

wave100

57Deluxe said:

many a time I have written to the council about the rise of dropped kebabs...

That's what I thought too!

Lestratcaster

Workmen finally came round to start the dropped kerb process, as our application has been approved! Payment was taken almost 2 weeks ago. The whole process has been stressful and has taken ages but by the end of the week we can finally use our driveway which has been there since November 2018.

How long after the tarmac has been laid do we have to wait til we can use it? 1-2 days?

ToneControl

then you can demolish your wall, accidentally

Lestratcaster

Ha, I'm pretty sure someone will grass us up to the highways and pretty soon they'll reinstate the footpath!