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Original poster

Driveways without dropped kerbs

58 replies

Peppapigsandwich · 26/04/2024 12:16

If someone is using their garden as a driveway but doesn’t have a dropped kerb, do you park there or do you treat it as a real driveway and find somewhere else?
If you have a driveway without a dropped kerb do you get blocked in often?
Im in the middle of a debate over this and curious to what others do or would do if ever in that situation?

OP posts:
Thirdsummerofourdiscontent · 26/04/2024 12:18

If it doesn’t have a dropped kerb it’s not a driveway.

Dareisayiseethesunshine · 26/04/2024 12:20

It's a patio with aspirations...

MuthaNurture · 26/04/2024 12:21

If there is no dropped kerb I would park there, unless there was a car on the drive, then I would find an alternative place to park, because I'm not a jerk, but so many people are! In the 'jerk's' defence though, without a dropped kerb they have every right to park there. I see enough posts on local groups on social media about parking and drives. Thee are people in this world who drive their car on to private drives and park there. And there is nothing anyone can do!

BusyCM · 26/04/2024 12:21

I wouldn't park there, what the point of causing agro just to make a point? If they weren't on the drive they'd be parked in the space in front anyway and possibly able to keep more than 1 car off the road, saving space overall.

ZipZapZoom · 26/04/2024 12:21

It's not a driveway without a dropped kerb no matter how much the home owner would like it to be.

Yes I would park in front of it and if I had a driveway as described I'd expect others to frequently park in front of it.

NoImRenlea · 26/04/2024 12:21

If you don’t have a dropped curb then it isn’t a driveway. I’d park somewhere else or on the road blocking them in - wouldn’t occur to me to leave the space

but I have a very low to the ground estate car so wouldn’t want to scrape the car getting on the pavement!

ILoveMyCat23 · 26/04/2024 12:22

I know technically it's not a driveway if there's no dropped curb but I wouldn't park in a way that would deliberately block anyone in, not worth the aggravation.

minou123 · 26/04/2024 12:22

Dareisayiseethesunshine · 26/04/2024 12:20

It's a patio with aspirations...

You beat me to it!

As a MN poster (I can't remember the name) once said:
It is not a driveway. It is a patio with aspirations.

SplitFountainPen · 26/04/2024 12:23

If there's a car there then obviously don't block it in.
If it's just a paved area with no car then I'd park there, as with no dropped kerb i would think it was a decorative preference rather than for parking.

Mindymomo · 26/04/2024 12:26

It isn’t a driveway if there’s no dropped kerb. We have a paved front garden and live on a corner, we’ve had a letter from our highways department saying if we are to park on there, then we need to apply for a dropped kerb, otherwise it’s illegal and we could be fined.

SplitFountainPen · 26/04/2024 12:27

MuthaNurture · 26/04/2024 12:21

If there is no dropped kerb I would park there, unless there was a car on the drive, then I would find an alternative place to park, because I'm not a jerk, but so many people are! In the 'jerk's' defence though, without a dropped kerb they have every right to park there. I see enough posts on local groups on social media about parking and drives. Thee are people in this world who drive their car on to private drives and park there. And there is nothing anyone can do!

If someone else leaves their property on your land then surely theyre risking it being damaged? Someone could be planning on spray painting something on their driveway which the wind can blow onto a car left there for example...

Moglet4 · 26/04/2024 12:28

I have this, but it’s not a garden, it’s clearly a driveway. I have definitely had a go at people before for blocking me in (and not for blocking me in but just for parking over it). It’s rude as hell. It’s quite clear where the entrance to the drive starts as there’s a wall on one side and a wall on the other. I also did apply to get the dropped kerb extended, which was granted, but it was so extortionate that I didn’t end up getting it done. It’s still quite clearly my drive though!

ZipZapZoom · 26/04/2024 12:30

Moglet4 · 26/04/2024 12:28

I have this, but it’s not a garden, it’s clearly a driveway. I have definitely had a go at people before for blocking me in (and not for blocking me in but just for parking over it). It’s rude as hell. It’s quite clear where the entrance to the drive starts as there’s a wall on one side and a wall on the other. I also did apply to get the dropped kerb extended, which was granted, but it was so extortionate that I didn’t end up getting it done. It’s still quite clearly my drive though!

Edited

If you have no dropped kerb it's not a drive regardless of the walls so I'm not entirely sure why you're having a go at anyone parking legally?

OpusGiemuJavlo · 26/04/2024 12:31

If there's no dropped kerb it is not a legal driveway and the residents are commiting an offence every time they drive across the pavement. It is definitely legal to park on the road by such a house if the front garden is empty. If there's a car there I wouldn't because even though the car is illegally positioned, blocking them in is a bit dickish. If the car isn't there it's just a front garden with no fence, not a driveway.

Mindymomo · 26/04/2024 12:31

This is part of the letter received from our Council.

Driveways without dropped kerbs
Moglet4 · 26/04/2024 12:33

There is a dropped kerb, it just doesn’t stretch the whole width of the drive. It is blatantly obvious that it’s a drive though

minou123 · 26/04/2024 12:33

Moglet4 · 26/04/2024 12:28

I have this, but it’s not a garden, it’s clearly a driveway. I have definitely had a go at people before for blocking me in (and not for blocking me in but just for parking over it). It’s rude as hell. It’s quite clear where the entrance to the drive starts as there’s a wall on one side and a wall on the other. I also did apply to get the dropped kerb extended, which was granted, but it was so extortionate that I didn’t end up getting it done. It’s still quite clearly my drive though!

Edited

Do you have a dropped kerb?

ZipZapZoom · 26/04/2024 12:34

Moglet4 · 26/04/2024 12:33

There is a dropped kerb, it just doesn’t stretch the whole width of the drive. It is blatantly obvious that it’s a drive though

So not like the situation in the first post? Unless you mean people park on the bit that's not dropped in which case they aren't doing anything wrong because that part isn't the driveway?

minou123 · 26/04/2024 12:34

Sorry @Moglet4 - crossed post

ThomasineMay · 26/04/2024 12:34

BusyCM · 26/04/2024 12:21

I wouldn't park there, what the point of causing agro just to make a point? If they weren't on the drive they'd be parked in the space in front anyway and possibly able to keep more than 1 car off the road, saving space overall.

I ageee

ineedtostopbeingdramaticfirst · 26/04/2024 12:35

Dareisayiseethesunshine · 26/04/2024 12:20

It's a patio with aspirations...

😂

OpusGiemuJavlo · 26/04/2024 12:36

Moglet4 · 26/04/2024 12:28

I have this, but it’s not a garden, it’s clearly a driveway. I have definitely had a go at people before for blocking me in (and not for blocking me in but just for parking over it). It’s rude as hell. It’s quite clear where the entrance to the drive starts as there’s a wall on one side and a wall on the other. I also did apply to get the dropped kerb extended, which was granted, but it was so extortionate that I didn’t end up getting it done. It’s still quite clearly my drive though!

Edited

The "extortionate" cost is required because the gas, water and electricity supplies under the pavement will get seriously damaged if a car is regularly driving over the pavement so they need some serious reinforcement protection which is installed as part of the work to drop the kerb.

Having "chosen" not to pay this you are probably responsible for leaks of water and gas which could cost enormous amounts to repair and could be causing some really dangerous problems (e.g. a build up of gas around a damaged and sparking electricity junction. Doesn't that sound fun?)

Hopefully you will be reported and fined before a disaster happens.

ineedtostopbeingdramaticfirst · 26/04/2024 12:36

Legally you can park there but I wouldn't block someone in.

MassiveSalad22 · 26/04/2024 12:37

Moglet4 · 26/04/2024 12:33

There is a dropped kerb, it just doesn’t stretch the whole width of the drive. It is blatantly obvious that it’s a drive though

This is us, we share a dropped kerb with next door and we’ve recently taken out a hedge so now the opening of our driveway is half raised and half dropped. So we can still get on our drive with people parked across the non-dropped bit. We’ll eventually get the rest of it dropped but it’s £££!

AfraidToRun · 26/04/2024 12:38

It's 50:50 here as to whether people have paid for a dropped kerb (the kerbs pretty low as it is). I've never seen anyone park in front of anyones drive (or fake drive or whatever you want to call it).