That councils should help people install driveways

[Soontobeorange]

I'm probably being unreasonable.

I've lived at current address for 9 years and the last year parking has been not just difficult, but nigh on impossible. I often have to park 1 or 2 streets away. I use a lot of equipment for work so my choices are park on pavement to unload (so wheelchairs and prams have to cross over or go in the road) or make several trips lugging heavy electrical equipment. My front garden is up a slope so I have to carry stuff up the stairs which makes it slower and limits how much I can carry.

I guess the obvious solution is for more people to install driveways but they are so expensive and even if you can afford it, the council may not approve a dropped kerb. Aibu that local councils should help people to install driveways? Either financially or by making it easier to get permission.

Also I'm talking about a drive big enough for 1 car not paving over the entire front garden as that would be horrible for wildlife.

Do you own your own home? If so no the council shouldn't pay.

It's definitely homeowners with their own cars that need council assistance.

Make it easier to get permission yes, pay no.

It’s not the council’s responsibility to help fund driveway installation for private dwellings. If they decided they were going to do that, council tax would be even higher than it is now.

Can’t say I’d be wanting pay more to help fund others home improvements.

No, housing association tenant.

I meant more as a general solution to so many cars fighting for space in dense areas. I'd bloody love a drive but even with help I couldn't afford it.

You do realise that when you say “the council should pay for…” that actually means “the public should pay for”

So no, individuals home owners should be paying for their own driveways not the general public.

I would happily pay more council tax for you to store your business equipment more conveniently.

Why should council tax payers fund your home improvements?!

Why is it hard to get permission, good reasons or bad ones? It's not just wildlife to consider, there's also drainage/flooding and road safety.

But homeowners having a driveway would benefit the general public as they could park outside their house.

Cheers! 😁

If people with garages parked their cars in them, that would help relieve the street parking issue somewhat.

I don’t want to pay for your driveway.

I knew I didn’t have one and wouldn’t always get to park outside my house when I bought my house.

So my housing association used to offer a handyman service where you could get someone to cut grass, install fences, outside taps, extraction fans, etc. The service was often cheaper than private companies and you could pay it off monthly. I was thinking something along those lines.

If you want a driveway, save up for one. Also, unless you have a large house and front garden, installing a driveway usually means one space is lost from the road so it doesn't actually help.

There is a hell of a difference in fences, extractor fans and a driveway.

So you think poor people living in flats should pay more council tax so that people already well off enough to have a house can have a driveway installed?

I think planning should be easier for it.

But of course you should pay to install it.

I live in a flat.

Near me, someone installing a driveway has lost two on street spaces - you used to be able to fit 4 cars, but because of how the dropped kerb sits, you can now only fit one car (well 1.5 cars, but that’s useless to anyone who doesnt drive a smart car) in each of the two remaining spaces.

No - and actually they're often against driveways in too densely populated areas because communities lose the flexibility of public on-street parking, and instead create a permanent space only one house hold can benefit from. If you need a parking space for your job then buy/rent/swap to a house that is more suited to your needs. Yes a house with a drive way might cost more in rent or price, but you're paying for convenience. Why should someone else pay for that for you or prioritize you over the community?

Not sure how that would work with all the tenement flats and houses with miniscule front gardens (hardly big enough for all the bins) round our way...

I have a drive and never struggle to get parked so why should I contribute to other people having a driveway made? It makes no odds to me where you park

I suppose it depends where you live if it would benefit the street as a whole. I live on a slope with parking only one 1 side of the street. Mostly flats here so lots of cars for only a little bit of road. Even if I lived on the other side of the street (where the gardens slope down) I would still prefer the houses opposite to have drives as it would free up more of the street.

Glad you're alright 👍

surely the road in front of a driveway has to be car-free therefore no space is actually freed up for parking