Builders blocking our road

[Skyfullofstarz]

AIBU about this.

We live on a very small one way street. The shop two doors down is getting work done and the builders keep dumping all of their materials and rubbish on the pavement so I can’t get past in my buggy. It’s also hard to walk onto the street because cars are parked so often I’m having to actually put baby in sling and then transfer to buggy once we are past their mess. It’s tonnes of old shop stuff and saws and materials.

Ive asked them over ten times to move it and each time they say they have nowhere to put in. I spoke to the manager who keeps saying they’ll move it and they don’t.

I am getting really annoyed and don’t get why they’d do this. I’ve taken pics and reported to the council and even called the police - both say they can’t do anything.

I feel for you. Do you have any neighbours who would also put in complaints?
I would have thought that if they have council planning to renovate, then surely its the council that are supposed to help in this situation. Legally, I have no idea though.

We had a noise complaint over a neighbouring property being renovated and it was the council portal I needed to log it on. Nothing was done- till 2 other neighbours also complained.

Unfortunately my neighbours are rather relaxed! They’re often working. So I don’t think they are as fussed as me as they aren’t in and out all day.

The renovation is “cosmetic” so they don’t have any council approval.

But I’m really grateful that you understand because DH thinks I’m being a drama queen!

I can't understand why the council say they can't do anything?

contact your councillors, they are MUCH more influential than some grey bureaucrat in the council itself. I've typically gotten a response/action within hours (sometimes as long as 24h) when went down that route. They want your vote!

How long has it being going on for and how much longer will it last?

They should at least organise alternative and safe pedestrian access on the road

Thank you all.

Spoke to the council who said there’s enough space for a pedestrian to pass. I said yes there is but not a buggy or wheelchair and then the case was simply closed online and nothing was done!

I can’t get through to anyone, it’s a cell centre just saying report online.

ARGH.

My response above was to you. Sorry I forgot to quote!

They shouldn't be storing materials on the highway for one, and if they are using the highway they most likely need a licence which I doubt they've applied for.

You need to contact the council again and escalate cc local Cllr.

Yes I would go to a councillor and complain directly to them.

Isn't it election time coming up ?

If it not got an engine blocking the path. - it’s council, possibly district council

if it’s got an engine blocking the road, its police

Don’t ring the council, find out who is your local councillor and speak to them. Often found in Facebook pages as they comment on local issues etc.

Are you carrying the buggy over the mess?

Our council only ever act when someone gets hurt. There was an issue in a neighbouring street with a couple doing a home renovation and using the pavement for all their mess and rubble. It was the end of the road and a dead end, they were the second to last house in the row. Last house in the row had a wheelchair user and the hearest dropped kerb was beyond the rubble pile. The wheelchair neighbour had a dead end to one side of her house, then the rubble pile to the other and a dropped kerb beyond that so she was trapped. Council said there was space for a pedestrian so did nothing. The renovation neighbours ignored wheelchair neighbour and all the angry comments on social media. Another neighbour went and cleared it just to be done with it, but renovation neighbour filled the pavement back up. In the end, the wheelchair neighbour contacted the council to say she attempted to wheel past and her wheels hit the pile, causing rubble and a plank of wood to hit her face and land in her lap. The council got someone out and renovation neighbours cleared the pavement. Wheelchair neighbour had to lie; only a few of us know it was a lie but she had no other choice.

So… council wont do anything unless there is an injury reported and they get scared of liability.

The reply I just got from the council is that “no issues were found that require enforcement action. There are works in the area where materials are on street“

So they’ve admitted materials are on the street but there’s nothing they can do.

Sigh.

The council admit materials are on the pavement but that there’s nothing they can do about it…!

Today what I did was baby in sling and parked the car further away than normal and unloaded the buggy after I’d walked around the mess and there was enough pavement to unload buggy and push past. Usually I’d store buggy in my house.

Submit an actual complaint rather than using the report tool. I had to do this for broken street lighting and an overgrown pavement after mutiple reports were closed with no resolution. When the complaints department got involved they actually did something. Now I report once and go to complaints after that - I'd been reporting the street lights for two years.

The blocking the pavement really annoys me as well - why are pedestrians considered to be less than others. Somebody in the village I live in had a note put on their car from somebody complaining that they weren't parking on the pavement as it was slowing traffic. The pavement in that area is barely wide enough for two pedestrians to pass each other. With a car parked you have to walk in the road but protecting a hunk of steel outweighs the pedestrian's right to safety apparently.

Thank you all. Emailing my councillor now!