By not wanting next door's kids running up my driveway?

[doggydance79]

New next door neighbours moved in a few months ago, with 3 kids, one lower primary and two preschool, nearly school age. Our houses are both set back from the road and the driveways are next to each other for a few car lengths before reaching the road. Our house is further up a little hill than theirs, so the driveway is much longer and fenced the rest of the way up until it opens out into the parking/garden area. Because of the angles of the driveways and houses, the kids are totally out of sight of their own home once past the first part of the driveway, with fences and gardens inbetween. The parents would know where they've gone, they are very loud. Although we have met and say hello, etc, we don't know them well.

From the start, they have been using the end of our driveway daily, positioning one car near the end on theirs, and leaving space to go up around it by using our driveway instead of moving it. Now, the 2 youngest kids have taken to running up and down our driveway, top to bottom. They will run past the living room windows and stop at the top to look in through the front door (which is open to get some fresh air in, most days). I've already spoken to one of them ( the other ran off when I appeared at the door!) but it still continues. In addition to not wanting strange kids running past our parked cars into the garden and peering into the house at random times, we have 2 very nervous rescue cats, who are being scared out of going into their own garden. (I don't know if they were mistreated previously, but even the postie walking to the door is enough to send them running, as is heavy rain on the roof!)

It seems strange to me that the parents think it's OK for their kids to regularly run up to a relative strangers front door and look inside, when it's in no way shared property. AIBU in wanting them to stop, or is this actually a thing that people think is okay?

I have a similar set up and the mount of times I have had to wait for the cheeky arse neighbours to finish their conversations with their various visitors who use my drive to park on - even though it's way down the bottom, it's incredibly thoughtless. Moving soon otherwise I'd be saving up to fence the fucking lot up and put an electric fence on the bottom.

I think if you add a gate where the two drives meet they will just take over that part of your drive.

@MrsBertBibby

We need a diagram to be sure.

Definitely; it’s MN law 🤣

Definitely a gate, planters, the lot (if you can afford it). I wouldn’t use chain style things as I imagine they’ll be swinging on them.

How tight is your drive to drive along? If you use fence posts and panels the fence would only be the width of the posts, so shouldn't lose too much of your drive. As you've no need to park there and need to open doors etc it should be ok?

You can get things that bolt to concrete to hold the posts, so you wouldn't have to dig holes in your drive - www.toolstation.com/easygrip-post-shoe/p58942?store=PJ&utm_source=googleshopping&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=googleshoppingfeed&mkwid=s_dm&pcrid=515847200300&pkw=&pmt=&gclid=CjwKCAjwpMOIBhBAEiwAy5M6YOoOVWMib7OCxL98ccFoMHIor7BAR5KrPwP08lafkIlv5Z5fenUXRBoCI30QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

oo oo penguin bollards

I’d definitely speak to the parents about the kids being on your drive and coming up to your front door, both from a privacy and safety aspect.
Personally I wouldn’t be concerned about them using the end of your driveway to get on and off theirs but it’s your drive so obviously you are not unreasonable to.

I think this may be the best diagram I’ve seen on mumsnet. 🥇 👏

@icelollycraving

Definitely a gate, planters, the lot (if you can afford it). I wouldn’t use chain style things as I imagine they’ll be swinging on them.

I think there may be a bit of a misapprehension about chain link fencing. It's the stuff they use round tennis courts etc, not the stuff with a length of chain between low posts.

www.sure-green.com/chain-link-6ft-x-25m-x-2-holes-2-5mm-galvanised.html?gclid=CjwKCAjwpMOIBhBAEiwAy5M6YLTK3YU_OtREBaRN1J0fpKE0ytoQcCEt44AfynvrMqoiCxkngM6U0hoCeD8QAvD_BwE

@doggydance79

1. Electric gates where the drives separate.
2. Horizontal wire fence with slim poles 3 ft apart and a pot with a vine or creepers to grow alone the wires from where the drives separate.
3. Sperate the drives by moving yours to the right.
4. Put ridged curb stones alone the drives to separate them.

100’s of solutions

I’d be continuing that fence right to the road. It’s a bloody cheek driving into your driveway let alone the kid situation!

They are CF's so you will need to be clear you are not happy.
Polite, but clearly NOT happy.

You will feel terribly responsible if you hit their children and you need to protect yourself.

If it continues, get onto 101.

At least you know, they are not going to be great neighbours.

People with an ounce of consideration wouldn't allow this.

*ThickAndTired

Electric fencing doesn't tape up much space, or barbed wire. Just a couple of strands should do it.

If that doesn't appeal, a row of large cobble type stones between the drives, high enough to be annoying if driven on. Or a row of bricks, fixed standing on end.

Electric fence & barbed wire????
🤣
that's a bit of an overkill. we are talking about children, not serial killers on death row*

But - the parents, you forgot the parents and they have already started using the OP's property. The children will turn out the same way, best teach them young, nip it in the bud.

I am just echoing pp, but that is an A* of a diagram op!
Seriously though I would have been on pins if my DC's were doing similar at any age but especially so little. The chance of a life changing accident is just too high!

Some great suggestions at putting a clear division between ye.

You could say that if it continues you will be doing this for safety purposes.

It will surely inconvenience them more than you?

Can you park your car at the end of the drive so they can’t drive over it?

I would do both a gate and some form of barrier. I think if you just put a gate you might find that the CF neighbour thinks you have abdicated rights over the lower half of the drive and start using it for parking, kids playing etc.

I would try to find some sleepers, preferably the original railway ones that are impregnated with creosote to discourage the children from climbing on them! As long as your drive is wide enough for delivery vans to get up you should be fine.

Great diagram.

Fab diagram. Even the thought of this has boiled my piss to steam so I cant suggest any good ideas to fix it.

I’d just speak to the neighbour.

I'd be asking the parents to stop their children or evening putting a fence across the drive further down to prevent them getting to your house.

I couldn't be worked up about them reversing their car off the drive, its common place among my neighbours, its not like they're parking parking your drive you can't even see them doing it.

Just tell the little shits to buggar off home every time!!

How wide is your bottom section of drive? You could extend fence but if its concrete would need to get builder to do to drill in/make hole.
Or just park right at bottom of your own drive.

Thanks for the diagram appreciation, I'll have to do a new one showing the placements of new gates, pop-up scary witches, electric fences and penguin bollards I'm planning.

I've not been that fussed about them using the bottom of the drive to manoeuvre around their lower parked car. As long as their loose bricks don't damage the edges of our concrete it shouldn't make any odds (and they get out of the way when I want to go up own driveway!).

To answer a few questions, the drive isn't actually much wider than the car, so not much space to play with. The other side of the drive is either the other neighbours grass, or council grass? I don't know. I wouldn't be able to extend on to it, though I'd be able to drive on the lower part of it. It's a weird piece of land, because of the hill, there's a small drop off between us and those neighbours most of the way along, so there's only a short length of that grass I'd be able to drive over, at the road end. So I'm not sure I'd be able to put planters on the drive to detour high enough up.

The low fence idea would be good, as someone mentioned you can make post holes in the concrete. Don't know why I didn't think of that! Or sleepers or something similar. I'll look into it.

I haven't seen them around yet, but I'm poised to leap out from behind the fence and have a nice neighbourly chat about their kids getting run over on my driveway because I won't be able to see them coming round the corner. Hopefully that will nip it in the bud, and I won't have to do any reno. Thanks for all the suggestions!

@doggydance79 you need to see the fence in the 'passive aggressive' fence thread. It's perfect for your needs.

As long as their loose bricks don't damage the edges of our concrete it shouldn't make any odds

They will eventually.

What's the betting that CFs who think it's fine to drive on your property, and let their children run wild on your property, will believe that your property is private to you when it comes to paying for the damage they cause it?

I've not been that fussed about them using the bottom of the drive to manoeuvre around their lower parked car. As long as their loose bricks don't damage the edges of our concrete it shouldn't make any odds (and they get out of the way when I want to go up own driveway!).

The issue with letting this continue is that if it goes on for long enough they can gain a right of way over your land. Then you (and whoever you sell to) will be legally obliged to maintain their access regardless of what you want to do with your own property.

I believe you don't have to stop them using it to protect yourself from this, you can create a contract so that they rent the right for a nominal fee, that way a common law right can't be claimed later and you can stop their access by ending the contract. But you probably need real legal advice to do it properly.