Using NDNs dropped curb

[Cleo2628]

Our NDN have a dropped curb but we do not. We’ve enquire but it will be near £1000 which we can’t afford. We moved here last June, and in some notes about the house the previous owner said that she used to neighbors dropped curb to get onto our drive, so we have done the same. Our neighbour had started doing very passive aggresics things eg. blocking my car in with his wheelie bin, parking very far back so we can barely get onto our drive, standing in his porch and watching us reverse off the drive etc. We don’t go onto his drive at all whilst using the dropped curb. I don’t want to annoy anyone but we just use the dropped curb, over the pavement and straight onto our drive. AIBU?

It is wrong. It doesn't matter who owns the dropped kerb. To get from the dropped kerb to your paved area you are driving over undropped pavement which is illegal.

@PyongyangKipperbang different councils have different rules for dropped kerbs and blue badges. My own council makes it clear they are for everyone to use while one of my brothers' states they are for the specific properties/people who asked for them.

Oh and if I was the OP neighbour I would just ensure I had visitors who would frequently block her in.

I'm sure she soon get the £1000 to have a drive installed rather than drive over mine.

Ok I’ve been looking into this a bit more. It appears that according to some councils websites (FAQ’s) that your NDN does not own the dropped kerb and isn’t allowed to police who crosses it. See photos for examples.

Also you might not be able to get your own dropped kerb put in as he already has one and yours would extend the existing dropped kerb above the maximum.

I highly suspect this issue has been going on for a long time before you moved in and at this stage I’m not sure if you would have any legal comeback if there has been an ongoing issue that was not disclosed when the house was sold.

What council do you come under Cleo?

"
Wrong because the kerb is owned by the council and as long as the OP doesnt drive along the pavement and doesnt block the neighbours access then it is perfectly legal for her to us"

technically technically yes. Correct.

Dick move though. Don't block a dropped kerb.

There's a part near us, standard driveways dropped. There's a section though where anybody in a wheelchair would have to walk a few hundred feet in the wrong direction just to be able to cross. It's not like a pushchairs - they need a proper drop kerb.

Don't block dropped kerbs. Your immediate neighbour might not need them, but someone does.

IWantMyHatBack - she isn’t blocking it though, just using it to access her own land.

It's not their's. Don't use it. Don't block it.

*theirs

Did you ever ask, or just assume because the previous occupant told you?

I’d ask the Council for advice here.

If it was my dropped kerb it wouldnt bother me you using it as long as you werent blocking me from using my drive.

Until you can get a proper dropped kerb sorted, what about a small ramp? Dpnt know how to do a clicky link but if you search ramp for drive ways ones come up that wouldnt block the road or be intrusive?

IWantMyHatBack

I agree that it shouldnt be blocked. But I am wondering who you think is blocking it. The OP is using it to access her own drive, so not blocking the dropped kerb or the neighbours drive.

anybody in a wheelchair would have to walk

If only it were that easy ...

It's the NDN doing the blocking.

Also, everyone, I hope from the photo above you can all see that I’m not driving “sideways down a pavement” or anything crazy like that!

I don't see how you have any other choice to be honest.. you can't park on the street because there's other cars there and it looks a very narrow road and it also looks like if you had a dropped kerb put in alongside your neighbours, it would be more akin to a road junction

Just go have a word with him and plead innocence if he's that bothered. It wouldn't bother me in the slightest.

From the diagram you are driving on the pavement, which isn't legal. No wonder your ndn is fed up.

Being a new driver surely you should be more clued up and knowledgeable.

I'd speak to the council again. They would only have to drop a small section added on to that existing one. With the pics you have provided I think you are being far less of a CF than your original post suggests. I'd question the council for a solution before apologising. Not because I don't think its a good idea to smooth things over with NDN but just in case the council say its ok for you to use.

I think PP is right that the council still own the dropped kerb. Someone else mentioned that extra wear and tear on the kerb might annoy the neighbour as he may be thinking if it breaks he will have to pay for a repair. I really don’t think he would......it’s part of the public highway still and the council are responsible for repairs.

It sounds like he’s just annoyed that he’s had to pay 1k for it and OP pays nothing but benefits.

If I were your neighbour I wouldn't be even slightly bothered if you used my dropped kerb, OP, especially if you are the nice and friendly person you certainly seem to be!

Your neighbour, (and all the pp on AIBU) sound officious and desperate to be irritated by nothing.

It's not 'one big misunderstanding'. You have a paved front garden. To park on it, you need to put a dropped kerb in or you park on the road.

Looking at your photo I would say you shouldn't be using your neighbour's drop kerb, it must be quite annoying for them to have other people's cars come across their way.

Just because the previous owner of your house says they used to do it doesnt mean they did or doesn't mean they should have, they obviously wanted to sell the house and knew being able to access a drive would make it more appealing.

I'm sorry but, but like your neighbour has had to, I think you need to pay £1k to drop your kerb.

And neighbour is being a bit of a twat blocking part of the pavement with his car for no good reason.