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?

I actually admire the man. Whilst I don't think the aggression is needed, you still need to look at it from his POV: this is something he has had planned for a while and now suddenly he has a whole village at him trying to convince him to do as they want. Many people wouldn't have the guts to stand up for themselves when it's against so many people. I don't think he's being unreasonable at all and I don't think it makes any difference if he's selling either, it is still his home until that point.

I agree with those who think you must come to a compromise so,people can walk from round the corner and hopefully the people who live there can be persuaded to let people park there. There's no way you can ride rough shod over an event which has already been arranged and advertised. Put yourself in his shoes, he has been working his garden for a very long time to prepare for this and he can't order his plants to wait for another date. Show willing and meet at least half way - I hope it has not already been pushed beyond this. I'm not a gardener but I love to go to see them and am well aware of the work.

This sounds like the sort of village that would have a summer fair/fete. Where is that held?
Is there a primary school? If so I bet it has a playground and some sort of field for sport.
Both these options have toilets.
It has a pub, right?
Where does the parish council meet? Somewhere with toilets I suppose?

I really want to know where this is now. There is no way this is the only possible venue and date combination. We could all put them right

Team Garden, obviously.

This sounds like the sort of village that would have a summer fair/fete

Or a wicker man.

Welcome to village life! This standoff will still be remembered in 40 years!
We have found street parties to be problematic in terms of insurance etc.parties on the green or in a village hall are easier.

Yes, it's a very first world problem!

This has got to be the best thread ever and love op passing shot. I miss village life. Wow, his garden must be amazing to get into the yellow book. My pil and parents have been known to travel miles to visit a garden. They do cakes and tea and sometimes you can buy plants and visit the toilet in amazing house. Its the whole experience. I remember one house had the wellies lined up next to the boot room toilet us the general public could use. That garden did a very nice chocolate cake and victoria sponge cake. Im team garden by the way and believe me its hard to get in that book and he spent months if not years getting that garden ready. Its a huge huge deal and been going on years including number 10 downing street.

Victoria sponge cake anyone?

Lived in a village - am naturally going to be on Team Garden.

As PPs have said, the open garden scheme is a really big deal for the owners.

I think you have to apply to the council (not parish) for permission to close roads, and residents can object. We got a letter from the council when our neighbour organised a street party, and neighbour came round to explain it. We live in a small dead end road, it was no big deal and the party was fun, despite my massive reservations about socialising with the neighbours

And I'm not surprised garden man is moving. I bet there's loads of history with this poor man and 'The Village'.

I live in a village and my advice is stay out of it if you can; he's moving. He'll be belligerent as hell because he's leaving the village so won't care about upset, or the impact this has on what could be a lovely village event. Yes, it could be a national open garden thing or a small one he's arranged himself. Not enough info to know.

Plus, if his garden is so amazing and important why's he moving (more cynic coming) maybe he sees the open garden as a great opportunity for him to get garden lovers in and sell his house to one of them?? If there's a street party that blocks access it's not exactly a selling point...

What I forgot to add, real shame they can't happen together. Open garden would be a great addition to the street party. Others could even open their gardens.

Usually I'm behind a parish council (mainly from years of fielding ridiculous letters to the Chairman, along the lines of "I can't actually see the green from my house, but if I could, I would be really bothered etc etc") but in this case, Team Garden all the way and a village with more than one street and 400 houses is really a sub-town anyway NGS is a massive deal, and it's totally unreasonable (and, actually, unbelievably that this is literally the only place the do can be held) to expect something that's not even been organised yet to take precedence over it. There is clearly more to this than meets the eye - I wonder if the PC's chairman, like PP suggested, has been slighted at the Horticultural Show or something? (Or, like the scandal we had one year, taken first prize for 5 tomatoes when his gardener had actually grown them - though that wasn't the PC chairman, but a local self-defined village worthy)

My erstwhile village is having its party in April, alongside HM - but if this village is choosing to celebrate at the weekend (and also commemorate Prince P's advanced age in doing so) why does it have to be on the day the garden is open? Perfectly ridiculous! Why can't they tie it in to the village show/fete, the regular time of year for the QBP or some other time that doesn't correspond with when Mr Garden has already arranged to have his garden open? I bet they'll all come begging to him when it's Britain in Bloom time again

OP - you sound like a newcomer to villages in general (or are just hopelessly optimistic about human nature): do not get involved. At all. Do not even voice the sentiments you have expressed here. This will run and run. Probably for generations.

"Yes, it could be a national open garden thing or a small one he's arranged himself. Not enough info to know."

I think you have missed this bit from the opening post: 'an open garden on the same day as part of the national open garden scheme'

This is a big deal, it takes a lot to be accepted, plus months if not years of preparation, and all details of open gardens have already been published (the website has been linked above and I think Yellow Books are still sold).

Hold your event in the village hall or village green, that is what they are for, and stop been mean to someone who has put in a lot of effort to something that has been planed for a long time.

DEATH TO THE PARISH COUNCIL!!!

The party is easier to rearrange. He organised his event properly first. Team garden here.

The dates that gardens are open under that scheme are published in a book so he can't change it as easily as you might think. How would he notify people who had seen the date in the book?

He might be upsetting 399 villagers, but they might be upsetting 1000 garden fans.

I think the open garden is irrelevant actually. If you want to close a street, then every person in the street needs to agree to it. You said that you want to put tables and whatever in front of his home, without any thought to whether or not he wants them there. I fail to believe that in a village of 400 houses that in front of his home is the only place you can host a party. Sounds nasty to me.

To feelinglikepeaches you say you are new to the village so you have just moved from somewhere else, would you have expected your long made plans to be ignored when your house was for sale in your old area. He is not new to the area and has probably worked for years getting his garden up to standard as it is a long project. There must be another place you can have your party if there are so few houses possibly not quite so convenient to use but certainly possible. Where there's a will there's a way.

I am team garden too I feel sorry for him for being bullied

He would have put many many hours of hard work to get selected, hope the sun shines for him

Think PC should choose a different location or date

I would love to hear updates from the OP.
Presumably Garden Guy isn't budging so....no party? or miraculously suitable alternative venue?

Have you thought he may have to move with his job but that's irrelevant as it should be first come first served and he was first with the arrangements. The new lady is being very brave as in villages it usually takes at least 10 years to even be noticed as anything other than the new woman.

Sounds like a plot line for The Archers. (I'm with garden man).

I think someone has it in for garden man and is deliberately trying to ruin his open day. There is no logical reason for doing this. Go Garden Man and get one of these for your front garden on street party day.

Feelinglikepeaches - have you ever lived in a small village before, I have.