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.

But dropped kerb removes a space for a car because you can’t block it so unless you have it for 2 or more cars you gain nothing?

So you want cheaper housing, cheaper driveways and cheaper handymen.

Mine did the same many years ago , now they only maintain shared spaces like halls and stairs in flats . I live in a house so font use this but my nighbours say the fee has rocketed over the past few years.

I wouldn't expect the council to pay for it , it's not there house but they could make it a bit more straightforward to get a dropped kerb.

Have you asked the HA if they could help towards the payment or back a grant ?

Well yes I am, along with plenty of others. It’s a silly suggestion that councils should finance this

And cheaper fuel and groceries.

The way to deal with too many cars in an area is not to provide individual parking. Councils with money to splash can spend it on public services, bike lanes and storage and supporting car clubs if they really don't think elderly care, SEN etc are worth it.

Everyone paving over driveways, even “just 1 car” has been shown to be terrible for the environment.

it also increases flood risk as the water cannot be absorbed into the ground and water table so it runs off.

we need to decrease paving, not add more.

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.

There are hundreds of thousands of streets where you would have to pave over the entire front garden just to park one car.

Not happy with making driving easier, thanks very much. Car centric places are not the future. Most cities in Europe seem to have figured this out and can manage just fine without prioritising cars and drivers.

There are aspects to gaining planning consent for a dropped kerb (I suggest that’s what you mean) that are often overlooked such as view onto road to pull out (NOT reverse out, that’s not encouraged), view into proposed driveway, footfall along pathway, traffic speed along the roadway etc. So is it not better that an independent review of all those aspects takes place?

No.

It's expensive to own a house. If you want all the benefits of a perfect house, buy one or pay for improvements yourself. That could include swapping your current house for one more suitable for you within your HA, possibly with a higher rent.

You already get lots of services at a much more reasonable price. Why should everyone else pay for your home improvements on top of their own?

House owners pay extra to have driveways. If you are HA you can sometimes make agreements to make improvements to your property at your own cost. Look into this and fund it yourself.

This idea of getting things funded 'for free' and this lack of understanding that someone else pays is really problematic.

If you aren't paying for it, who is? There isn't really much of a justifiable benefit to others from you being able to park on a driveway for the cost of installing a driveway.

Nothing seems to solve the problem. People around here who have their own drives park in the road, unless they are prohibited from doing so - for example if they were given planning permission to extend their house on condition that they park on their own property, rather than the street.

Most of those here who choose not to park on their private drives do so either because they want to use the drive for children playing, or to make room to take out the bins or get to the garden, or to stop commuters or others from parking in the street.

Why should local residents, via council tax, pay for your drive? 🙄. No.

Would you like one moon on a stick with that, or two?

All driveways (with dropped kerbs) do is remove a parking space on the public road to allow a homeowner access to their own parking.

I think homeowners should pay for the impact of removal of a section of road for public parking - a surcharge which goes towards a public car park, for example. Or homes with a dropped kerb should be subject to a CT surcharge and the money used in the same way.

cant stop laughing what a ridiculous suggestion

Local Authorities are extremely strapped for money. They struggle to fulfil their legal commitments. If by some chance they have any spare there are plenty more worthy causes than making homeowners life's a little easier and adding value to their houses.

And the expense coming out of someone else’s pocket as well.

But dropped kerbs remove on street parking.

Don't driveways mean there is less space on the road to park because you can't block them?

Stick? Silver platter please.

I agree that there are far too many cars, but I live in Devon and the public transport is awful so not having a car isn't a viable option unfortunately.

I suppose the PP meant people with garages are parking on the road - thus taking up an on street space AND taking up a space with their garage access

I think people should be allowed to drop the curb if they want one, but it should completely be up to them to pay for the costs and any administrative burden.

Yup so drives only make sense when it means you can remove multiple cars off the road.

If you are doing it for the greater good rather than to just guaranteed your own space.

Our front would fit three or four cars if you removed the whole front garden. A couple of streets away you could barely fit a corsa on their gardens so wouldn’t free up road space.

Most new homes aren't being built with a driveway and small front garden. They have a communal parking area nearby.

A total fuck up when you consider people are meant to be changing to EV's in a few years.