AIBU to park like this?!

[mynamechangemyrules]

And is it even legal/ doable...

So I live in a cul-de-sac and most houses have converted their front gardens into parking spaces. Most can fit 2 cars except the turning circle houses.

My house and the one I'm semi detached to have kept our front gardens. As have a few near the end of the road.

So there are 3 little stretches where people can park.

People who have driveways park on there all the time as they have lots of cars each. My immediate opposite neighbour has 5 (!!!) cars for her 3 bed semi (she's lovely but has 2 adult kids moved back in with their partners..)

So- I want to get a dropped kerb- but not turn my garden into a concrete slab. Can I get a dropped kerb, but still park on the kerb myself (block my imaginary parking space in?!)
If I don't make the garden into a car park space can I do this to 'reserve' the space out the front of my house?!

Pathetic, petty whatev I know 🤪😂 but I have 3 small kids and just some days get fucked off parking miles away- but also don't want to concrete over my lovely rose bushes and California poppies 😫

AIBU to get a dropped kerb without a parking space behind it?

Fucking hell, 5 cars is taking the piss

In our council they say that if you give permission, you can allow a visitor to park across your dropped kerb (we had one installed last year, and it was written in the paperwork) but they never enforce people who you don't want parking across them.

So where I live you would get away with it, but if there is no car on the drive/garden in front of your house then anyone can park across it anyway.

Unless you are going to use your front garden to park in, it seems like a waste of money to me.

No you can't. You either need to drop the kerb and park on your drive (once you've got one) or suck it up although its really annoying when neighbours have that many cars. You don't have to turn your garden into a concrete slab, there's several other options but If you drop the kerb with nowhere to go you'll probably find that once you set the precedent of parking over it they'll do the same anyway.

In my council, they won't fit the dropped kerb until you've converted your garden. I've got permission to extend my dropped kerb but having to save to get the work done (as well as the council fee).

I had to have a hardstanding before the Council (Sheffield) would give permission for a dropped kerb. Pebbles and pea shingle not acceptable so I had a flagged area. 2 strips of flags should be sufficient. Otherwise cars could trail mud and stones onto the road

Its illegal to block someone on their drive (i.e block access to the highway) but not to prevent them accessing their drive. (Even not it is inconsiderate parking)

No drive = nothing to block.

You can't block a dropped kerb

You also don't have to concrete over. Gravel is a much better option as it allows drainage. Leave a flower bed down the side.

If you want to park close by you're going to have to suck it up

That’s good to know. Does it matter if there is nothing other than grass around and in between the two lines of flags, do you know please?

Thanks for the answers. It does seem I'd have to do something solid/ permanent then, the council here doesn't make it clear.

It seems counterintuitive to get flags down before getting permission..?!

Anyway, I've wondered about just putting some small block paving in two rows amongst the grass. Would that be enough do you think?

As a wheelchair user, I don't care whether you own it or not, anyone who parks over a dropped kerb is a stupid and selfish twat. The other day I had to wheel myself in the actual road for ages before I could cross over to my house. Dangerous as well as exhausting.

But hey, you being able to "reserve" the front of your house and keeping your roses and poppies, are more important than people in wheelchairs being able to cross the road.

Like this?

It would probably depend on individual councils. Their website might contain info. It was the contractor who did the work that told me what my options were - there was a list of approved contractors that you could use that would work to council regs. You can do the work yourself but it has to conform to regs

I’m sorry that people park badly and block your access, that is awful.

There’s no dropped kerb there now though with mine, I mean I would be adding one for parking purposes, not a crossing dropped kerb which I am blocking.

That’s crap EmeraldsAreForever and I’m sorry that happened to you. 💐

Phone your local council for advice. You can get gravel/grass grids to keep the frontage from looking too industrial.

Thanks. I’m guessing there would have to be work done prior to laying the flags then, for hard standing purposes.

You can get plastic grids that you fill with gravel so it stays where it is they do look better than they fdo in the picture I think they’ve left them like that so you can see them

That’s a brilliant solution if the council allow it.

You can fill them with grass too can’t you?

Ok. Message received from all! No dropped kerb being installed here.
It was an expense too far anyway really was just thinking 'out loud'/ on mumsnet 😂

Glad to hear it I do sympathise with neighbours parking like twats, and a family with 5 cars?! I fear that as multi generational households becomes more widespread for financial reasons and the difficulties for young people securing their own accommodation, multi car households will increase.

I live in a cul de sac of five houses. Smallest drive holds three cars. There are sixteen cars between us. We'd all like to have less cars (cars are expensive!) but life means that people need their cars for various reasons. You're right that multi car households will increase. I'm expecting at least two more cars in the next year or so as the youngest are turning 17.

A previous house of ours had 2 sets of neighbours with 4 cars each close by. One couple had their adult child and partner move back in, other couple's children bought cars when they passed their tests. We had a drive big enough for 2 cars and a garage with space for another (we only have 2) so didn't bother, but I know other neighbours would get annoyed with the cars being lined up in front of their houses meaning they had to park further away.
I know it isn't illegal, but I understand the annoyance.

This is what I'd do if I didn't want a solid driveway.