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Original poster

It’s a parking one…

238 replies

MegsLevante · 27/03/2023 06:01

Builders have blocked off 6 free parking areas on our road with bollards. This is a public road and those spaces are used by the residents because not everyone has a drive.

There has been a derelict house on the road for ages. One of the parking spaces is in front of this house but the other 5 aren’t. The house has been sold recently (no idea who to) and they have builders in. These builders have put bollards (last week) and now traffic lights on to block off these spaces.

They have also left these bollards and traffic lights in place over the weekend when they aren’t doing any work.

Are they allowed to do this on a public road? If they’ve got traffic lights, have they got the council involved, or can anyone put up traffic lights? Who do we complain to?

OP posts:
Pringleface · 27/03/2023 09:47

How do you not understand that Cadent doing gas works for the house supply is not the same people as those who will be doing the residential building work? Furthermore, it won’t even be Cadent themselves digging up the road, they employ a contractor to dig the hole, Cadent do the work, then the other contractor fills the hole.

If you get this worked up about six parking spaces, you’d have hated to live in my road last year - the whole of one side was dug up for emergency power works and about 30 houses couldn’t use their driveways for six weeks. Yes, it was annoying but we accepted it had to be done.

Perhaps you should go and take a shit on your new neighbour’s doorstep to let them know that they’re welcome to the road.

MoongazyHare · 27/03/2023 09:53

If you want to be able always to park outside your house, buy one with a driveway.

Relying on always being able to park in a particular on a public road with no restrictions is impossible.

Of course there will be times when other people’s requirements take precedence over your preference. This is one of them.

I feel very sorry for your new neighbours.

LadyIckenham · 27/03/2023 09:53

I don't think you are being unreasonable complaining about the vans taking the spaces, OP. My view is probably coloured by the fact that we have a large development going on at the end of the road which is causing huge disruption in a road where everyone has off street parking, so I can imagine how difficult it must be if not everyone does. It doesn't actually affect me, so I don't need to worry about it, but I have seen both an ambulance and a fire engine have real issues turning at the end of the road, which is much more a concern.

A note through the door or a quick hello is generally all it takes to diffuse things. I can never understand why so few people take their neighbours into account.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Driving & parking
GandhiDeclaredWarOnYou · 27/03/2023 09:55

You know cones are moveable, right?

GandhiDeclaredWarOnYou · 27/03/2023 09:58

@MegsLevante , it is Mumsnet Law that all parking threads must be accompanied by a diagram.
0/10 for effort

johsq20 · 27/03/2023 09:58

But it's a public road so you're not even entitled to park there? Suppose there was an event going on in town and the road was full? What if someone was having an event and friends and family had parked on the road?

Sometimes I get home and there's no space directly outside my house so I park on the next road along. I don't own a parking space so I deal with it.

This sounds a bit crazy - also I think sometimes they put cones etc in advance so that they can ensure someone won't have parked up and left their car there by the time they actually need to do the work?

MrNook · 27/03/2023 09:59

You seem like a fun neighbour. I bet they're going to regret buying near you. I expect no matter what they do you're going to be annoyed. Had they bought and then left the house derelict for years you would've complained about that too.

You say if you'd been warned in advance you would've made alternative arrangements, just make alternative arrangements now?

BitOutOfPractice · 27/03/2023 10:01

Can you imagine the new people joining that WhatsApp group?! 😬

SirChenjins · 27/03/2023 10:03

Gas works - nothing you can do, as you know.

Builders blocking parking spaces for themselves with cones - move them every time.

If they want to block spaces they need to apply to the Council.

MyriadOfTravels · 27/03/2023 10:08

You don’t think that the new owners should have dropped a polite note through all our doors, advising us that there would be disruption?

Look I get you are angry. And I get that it’s creating a lot if disruption fir you. But I really think you are directing your anger towards the wrong people.
The issue here is with the builders.
The new owners might well live 200 miles away and have NO IDEA of what going in re bollard, parking space etc…. The builders though are organising themselves to make their lives easier. Because yes they will need to be parked close enough to the house too.

As you said, it’s a disruption that will continue fir a while. So you have few options open to you - rather than seething and getting angrier and angrier.

  • go and talk to the builders. They’ll be there during the day when it’s less of an issue. You can ask them to remove bollards at the end if the day/weekends fir the other residents to use the spaces.
  • You said that if you had known, you would have found alternative arrangements. Just do that now and make your life easier.
  • ask the builders if they can let you know if there are some planned ‘disruptive works’
I’d also remember that they are doing their job too. And dong so in a road with limited parking won’t be easy for them either….
MyriadOfTravels · 27/03/2023 10:11

Fwiw leaving a nice note in the NDN letter has also been known to backfire massively and said NDN then using that to harass the person aged thr builders before anything has even started….

Or you have comments along the lines of ‘they talked about minimal disruption d they’ve done X and Y. They are taking the mick and think we are stupid’ type if comments.

MissMaple82 · 27/03/2023 10:14

MegsLevante · 27/03/2023 07:23

It isn’t just me. We have a WhatsApp group for everyone who lives on the road and everyone is pissed off about this.

Ive shared the website another poster provided to the group, so everyone can now see that a gas contractor has permission to block the road from 24-28th March but no longer.

Show quote history

Oh god, you're a wattsap group of busy bodies 🙄

Seeline · 27/03/2023 10:15

God what a fuss!
Just move the cones and park there!

House possibly being done up by a developer and will then be sold on.
Builders have to park somewhere whilst working and as you've said, it's a public road so....

Are there actual marked bays?

Ohwonderful · 27/03/2023 10:15

Gazelda · 27/03/2023 09:05

I agree that a kite would have been polite.

I also agree that the 3 cans reserving (by traffic cone) 6 parking spaces over a weekend is unreasonable.

However

  • the note thing might be an oversight that can surely be forgiven.
-The owners are probably oblivious to the cones being left in place over the weekend. - No one appears to have spoken to the gilders and asked for their consideration.
  • the neighbours have been corresponding, speculations and plotting about the new neighbours before they've even moved in. You all seem to have decided they're going to be trouble and not the sort you'd usually welcome.

Calm down. Be reasonable. Communicate and keep an open mind.

I second this!

Bearpawk · 27/03/2023 10:15

None of you (you or the builders) have priority to park on the public highway.

If you really need to park there and they haven't closed it via the council i'd just move the cones. Simple.

But they'll have lots of vans/ skips etc which will need to be next to the house and I assume you don't want them blocking the road ?

MissMaple82 · 27/03/2023 10:17

MegsLevante · 27/03/2023 08:50

There’s no rage. We are just concerned that they have already shown quite clearly, that they intend to be inconsiderate neighbours. It’s a tightly knit neighbourhood and we are usually welcoming to new comers.

You don’t think it would have been considerate of them to let us know that they were intending on starting an extensive renovation and it could cause disruption? As that’s how we usually do things in our neighbourhood - if someone is going to be having some building work done (or anything that could cause disruption) they usually post it in the group WhatsApp to let everyone know.

Show quote history

No, they don't have to let you know shit!

SirChenjins · 27/03/2023 10:18

If they’re putting a skip on a public road they will have to apply to the Councyto do that.

Sticking cones on the public road to ‘reserve’ 6 spaces so their three vans can park there? Sod that. If they are reputable builders they’ll know they can’t do that.

MissMaple82 · 27/03/2023 10:22

MegsLevante · 27/03/2023 09:03

They were doing their job over the weekend were they? There was no work going on in the house over the weekend when they had blocked it off. Those parking spaces aren’t theirs. They aren’t ours either but we don’t block them off and stop other people parking in them.

Show quote history

They obviously need the spaces for their vans to do their jobs. If they didn't block it people like you would park there and they'd never get appropriate access to their materials and tools. They need the spaces far more than you do at this current point. They will be done soon enough. Yes, it's an inconvenience, but hey hoe, such is life. Just park somewhere else and stop moaning. you're not entitled to the spaces just because you live there

EndOfEternity · 27/03/2023 10:26

@MegsLevante just popping on to give you a hug. No idea why your post is attracting so much anger. The situation does sound frustrating. And it would be weird for a street’s WA group not to discuss it.
Hope the situation gets better soon x

SirChenjins · 27/03/2023 10:26

Grin It doesn’t work like that - builders don’t get to block off multiple spaces with cones on a public road because they need to move their tools.

Pseudonamed · 27/03/2023 10:37

Im with you OP. It is an inconvenience and it is terribly rude. I would email the company and tell them in no uncertain terms that their vans and cones are causing a disruption and then move the cones myself.

loislovesstewie · 27/03/2023 10:46

The sooner they can get cracking the sooner it will be finished. Having to park further away from the property will all add up time wise, just bite the bullet and leave the builders to crack on.

Original poster
MegsLevante · 27/03/2023 10:47

Tessasanderson · 27/03/2023 09:23

You need to get over yourself. You seem to be some self appointed speaker for the entire street who deals in tittle tattle over whatsapp. Have you been sharpening the pitchforks all weekend?

Come on. The builders need access to their tools, vehicles and some space. Yes they have bent the rules a little by coning (Not bollards) off a few spaces but they are probably just trying to make a statement early on. How neighbourly would it be to accept this but go over and have a civil discussion about weekends? You dont seem to value that need against your right to parking close by. I havent read once from you about alternatives for you to park. Is there some parking 100/200/300/500 yards away? Is it chronic parking so you cant park for 1 mile? Are you incapable of walking? Are you old?

At the end of the day its says as much about you as it does about anyone else how you react to this. So far you have been aggressive and rounded up a posse of neighbours to attack.

Just because your life revolves solely around posting on mumsnet doesn’t mean everyone’s does. Perhaps the other neighbours aren’t on mumsnet. FYI not everyone in the world posts on mumsnet.

Actually, we’ve all been out and about all weekend, getting on with our lives. We all have these things called smart phones so can access WhatsApp to read and respond to messages whenever we need to. The fact that you think we’ve just been sitting at home whatsapping each other all weekend tells us more about how you choose to live your life, not us.

OP posts:
Original poster
MegsLevante · 27/03/2023 10:49

Pringleface · 27/03/2023 09:47

How do you not understand that Cadent doing gas works for the house supply is not the same people as those who will be doing the residential building work? Furthermore, it won’t even be Cadent themselves digging up the road, they employ a contractor to dig the hole, Cadent do the work, then the other contractor fills the hole.

If you get this worked up about six parking spaces, you’d have hated to live in my road last year - the whole of one side was dug up for emergency power works and about 30 houses couldn’t use their driveways for six weeks. Yes, it was annoying but we accepted it had to be done.

Perhaps you should go and take a shit on your new neighbour’s doorstep to let them know that they’re welcome to the road.

I do understand that Cadent doing gasworks for the house supply is separate from the people doing renovations.

I’d forgotten how bad the selective reading on mumsnet is.

OP posts:
gooseduckchicken · 27/03/2023 10:49

Just move the cones!