to think one person shouldn't hold a village to ransom?

[feelinglikepeaches]

I have recently moved to a rural village. It's about 400 houses - a friendly place to live and very good at holding village events. With the Queen's birthday coming up the parish council wants, along with many other places across the country, to hold a street party on the Sunday afternoon (June 12th). The only viable street to close (because of emergency access to an old people's home and through access) would inevitably mean that some houses would have their access cut-off. One of these houses has already advertised an open garden on the same day as part of the national open garden scheme. The chap concerned has been very vocal/aggressive in campaigning for the street party not to happen. I have some sympathy for him as this open garden was organised many months ago and I recognise that the open garden raises money for charity- however his house is up for sale so it seems very hypocritical. I'm told that for whatever reason the road closure would have to be on a Sunday and that the consensus was that the afternoon would suit the village better- so it seems that it is not possible for the date and time of the street party to be moved. I would like to get involved with the event to meet more people and get involved more with village life but I don't want to walk into a big feud! Is the house owner being unreasonable?

June 12 is the day of The Big Lunch, a national event. It happens every June, it just so happens that this year they have moved the date to the same day as HRH's birthday picnic/party on the Mall. Must be some way that the street party & the open garden can celebrate together. It's only one day.

I wonder if the parish council got a grant from the LA for a street party and that's why they're digging their heels in? Our local area received such a grant one year and although it is for a street party, iirc you can still hold part or most of it inside and it also doesn't have to be on a specific date. I think our's was on the Friday afternoon because it was mainly for the elderly and school age children. Walk away from the controversy op

Even with your later explanation OP, I still can't see why he is being hypocritical. Do you understand the meaning of the word?

I feel bad for the man opening his garden.

Well the Queen has two birthdays, they could pick the other one. The Big Lunch just sounds like a ridiculously overreaching 'thing' of recent years, which is probably is.

Team Garden Man here.

I suspect if you are new to the village your opinion or help doesn't count anyway, we've been in ours for a few years and contributed massively to the community centre and community campaigns but I've forgotton how many times I've been told that I can't really know what's right for the village as I wasn't born here!
Our parish council has made some massive mistakes with a technical thing in my area of expertise so I offered to help but they reacted so badly to it because they have always done it that way (even though it's wrong) - I've given up on being involved in parish politics as it never ends well.

Also - my village had a street party for the jubilee (the one around 15 years ago).

It was in planning for a year.

So your lot trying to cobble one together in a few weeks sound woefully naive, as well as selfish and unfair.

Sounds as if the village is bullying one man, rather than he is holding the village to ransome!

Poor man!

Are the village not proud of him & his garden & want to promote that?

Yeah HanYOLO. He will be found dead poisoned by his prize plant and Barnaby will have to investigate. OP will be prime suspect as only newcomer to village. Oooooohhhhh.

This is why I hated living in a village

No help to you, OP, sorry. I just like being reminded of the festering resentments that churn beneath the romantic villagey surface!

Have your party on April 21st which is the Queen's birthday.

HINBU

The VIBU

Where is it? I want to visit his garden now

According to the Big Lunch website the main day is 12th June but you can do it any day you like.

We are having a street party (4 families on a cul de sac sitting on my front lawn) on Saturday 11th, so the children can play together, the men can play with fire, and we can all get a little tiddly before stumbling home.

There are lots of reasons why the garden man should be allowed to have his open day and lots of possibilities for the village to be flexible.

Emergency access to an old people's home an issue?

Don't homes usually have decent grounds? How about trying to have the village picnic there? Plus afternoon tea at the Open Garden?

(Murder later, in the vicarage)

In 'normal' world, all 400 households would be eager to celebrate together. Garden Man would see the party as a marvellous opportunity to welcome both residents and visitors to his horticultural domain, and the village would be delighted to entertain his guests as part of their united celebration of our dear freeloader Queen.

But it's a village

Hypocritical as if house sold he couldn't ask new owner to take over the open garden.

or may be he is telling prospective buyers he won't move until then. Or making them aware it's a commitment that must be kept. Or offered to keep doing the gardening until the event.

When me and dh first moved in together we lived in a small village. Stuff like this happened all the time.

I would say this is more about what happens to people who don't tow the village line, rather than him holding you to ransom.

This is so midsomer murders, I love it.

Isn't it!

The people being unreasonable are the ones publicising this man's valid reasons behind why he doesn't want the road closing to all and sundry and making him out to be a villain.

Good answer, Edith. Especially the murder.

But if Garden Man already has coachloads of people coming to see his garden then the village deciding to shut off his street is an issue. . .

A former colleague used to get busloads of people coming to his garden on Open Garden Day

Probably Garden Man's begonias won first prize at the village fete, the head of the village council has been seething with resentment ever since and spotted the street party as a way to sabotage Garden Man's open garden day

As a veteran of a street party for the last Jubilee.
I'm astonished that the parish council has left this so late.
Are the parish council aware that you have to liaise with the police to get the street closed ? They need to co-ordinate with other villages who may be doing the same. They provide diversion and street closed signs.
There will always be moaners. In spite of notices weeks before hand we had a man complain he did't know the way to the nearest town if he had to turn right out of his cul-de-sac instead of left.
My vote is for the garden man who seems to have shown more foresight than the rest of you.

Welcome to village life My friend keeps saying she is going to write a book about where we live, it could honestly have a soap based on it!

I would keep out of it but personally no I don't think he is being unreasonable. He planned this ages ago, before any street party was mentioned, the house being up for sale is not relevant as presumably no move would be made until after the open garden.

Street parties really do have to suit everyone affected, it is very easy for people who aren't directly affected to say they wouldn't mind if their access to their home was cut off but in reality they might well think differently.

First come, first served. He is not at all unreasonable.

Street parties are pretty rude in my estimation. Just have it in the church hall if that's an option. Or at least change the date. Why should his long-standing arrangements be cast aside because someone else got an idea in the meantime?

In my neighborhood one inconsiderate group was always trying to get the street closed for their clique's party and the rest of us got fed up with the noise and inconvenience and put the squash on it. They all have large gardens and can hold whatever party they like on their own properties.