Driveway being used as neighbourhood play area

[Chafl]

I've just moved onto a new build estate, where most of the houses are off to the left or right of the main street, with neighbours sharing a narrow drive / access path (no pavement), which is unadopted by the council and for access only, not parking (don't have the deeds yet, but been referred to as this by the sales team).

Ours steps uphill and joins what is going to be a green area, when finished, and since the sun has come out, has attracted just about every child on the estate with their bikes, scooters, roller blades, skateboards..

I'm not just talking about neighbours' children playing in front of their own property next door, which I need to pass over to get home, (I am in the middle house) but loads of them constantly whizzing up and down outside, congregating and making it difficult to come and go.

The number of them means they encourage each other to keep going and won't move when you try to leave the driveway, so a quiet word with one won't really work.

I don't know any of their parents yet, and don't really want to get off on the wrong foot - be that upsetting them by asking them to leave, or allowing it to happen.

AIBU to think that it's only 'shared' for the actual residents and is actually our 'shared' private property, or should I (and the neighbourhood kids) be treating this like a public space?

I'd be concerned about whether public liability insurance is needed for the shared/communal areas, if the kids are playing and hurt themselves for example, who would be liable?

Diagram? 🤔

It's a 'green area' you can't control who uses it.
If there's a part that will belong to you, you could ask them not to play on that if you really must

Surely they should play in the street not your drive? Can you mark out your side with very heavy not moveable planters that you can't get a bike between? Or would your neighbour be ok with a low wall with wrought iron fence on top? Open space can be too easy for people to mindlessly see it as ok to invade I often think.

This is the access for what will be the shared green area? In which case I think YABU.

Sounds horrendous, diagram please, it’s the rules!

So it's a designed area for shared green space - do you not think it would be a kids magnet on a new build estate?

Quite hard to picture but I suppose if it only leads to your and your neighbour's house then YANBU, but if it leads to what's going to be a shared green space as well then YABU. As long as they're not blocking you getting in or damaging anything.

@skeggycaggy

This is the access for what will be the shared green area? In which case I think YABU.

No, it's the access to my house and two others. There will be grass in between ours and the next row when they're built. All the others like this already there have signs to keep off the grass.

We need a diagram.

Ypur title is completely misleading isn't it? The children are playing in a cul-de-sac (possibly an unadopted cul-de-sac but that's not certain either).

They're not on your driveway are they?

As others say, a diagram might clarify...

I do LOATHE a “Keep off the Grass” sign.

Can you draw it?

Are they using chalk?

It’s hard to picture. I think you need the deeds to know whether it is private access or public pathway.

It sounds like it isn’t a driveway but a path going past your house, which will continue to a green area & then another pathway past more houses? How will the people in the next block of houses access them, along this path?

yeh gonna need a diagram

It's not a cul de sac, it's literally a dropped kerb from the main street and a one car width stretch adjacent tothr front of my house, one before me and one after me. All the others look like it too and I wouldn't even walk down them knowing it's a dead end, I'd assume they were for residents to get to their houses.

If it's a path that's not your property leading to a green area that's not your property either, I don't think you can really consider either of them as private space.

If it's not your property, I don't think you can do anything about it.

I'm sorry OP, you've bought a house in what's probably an estate designed for families.
Unless the kids are damaging your property, I think it would be really mean to stop them playing out.

Just how many times do you go in and out of your house each day?

If it not your property, there isn't much you can do about it.

Is this going to be a long term problem? Even when your estate is finished, from your diagram it seems your path is an access route to the green space.

I know what you mean OP. We went to view a 2 year old house with a shared access drive like this (& decided against).

It is a shared drive, it’s not unadapted road etc. YANBU to tell them not to play there.

As far as I know, I and the other two houses share responsibility for its upkeep. And it's to access our houses. The bit right in front of my house is marked out on the plan as part of the property, but obviously, my first neighbour must let me pass over their stretch, and I must let my next neighbour pass over mine. None of us can store anything there or block it.

I don't think it's not for our use, it's not a path and it's definitely different from a public road. And it doesn't lead to a field, there will be a stretch of grass between us and the houses opposite (not further up the drive), who will have their own access.

It’s a public green area in the middle of what sounds a busy estate. I’d feel lucky it’s just a bunch of kids playing on their bikes