Driveway Expansion / Parking Dispute

Laid Back Bill

Hi all. Query relates to on street parking, specifically in a housing estate on the north side of Cork City.

My in laws live in a council house, in a cul de sac. Their direct neighbours are not in a council house (privately owned).

Their neighbours have a 2 x car driveway, but they are a 3 x car household. My in law's have a 1 x car driveway, but none of them drive. Overall the in-law's drive is the same size as their neighbours but half is grass covered and the grass part is covered by a wall i.e. the driveway opening is only 1 x car wide.

The neighbours parking routine is religious. It's 1 car in their drive, 1 car in front of their drive, the 3rd (and always the same car) parked in front of my in-law's house, but not blocking the in-law's drive.

Although none of my in-law's (in the house) drive, I drive a 7 seater, as does my sister in law (who doesn't live in the family home). So, anytime we all visit, which is a lot, 1 of us will park in the drive, the other will try to park in front of the drive. But, this space to park in front of the drive depends on the space left by the neighbour's car parked in front of their drive, and their other car parked in front of my in-law's house.

What's the problem? When we ask them to move (always politely, I might add) it's an ordeal. Today it was a flat out "No" which changed to "this is the last time". So I've had enough.

It's a public road so I know we (nor my in law's in the house, if they drove) have no right to the space outside the house. I'm wondering has anyone come across this?

We've been speaking about extending the width of the driveway to allows us to get both cars in, but, it's a council house and I understand that's subject to planning. Is this the case / does it matter that it's a council house? I know they'd appeal and the grounds to do so would be the reduction in on street parking (even though they can park 2 x cars in their drive but never do).

It's impossible to get the space outside the house. If the neighbour needs to use his car (outside our house) his wife or son moves their car from their drive, or outside their drive to block the space outside our house. They're that blatant about it.

Ideas welcome.

callaway92

Could you maybe ask council for wheelchair spot if parents are elderly?

callaway92

Just to give a bit of context to my point above.

We live in an end-of-terrace townhouse where cars always park on footpath (and creates massive issues on the road)

Annoyingly a cafe near us attracts a busy custom so the spaces to park in an alley were often all in use and our elderly neighbour had to park far away. He hounded the council and they granted a public wheelchair spot (not specifically for him but it has fixed the situation since he always has it now pretty much bar the odd wanker parking there)

Laid Back Bill

That could possibly work, my father in law has Parkinson's Disease and does (the odd time) rely on my sister in law for a lift.

But, the cul de sac is so narrow I can't see a full spot being painted on the road. All cars parked outside houses are mounted on the footpath. If a car was parked only on the road, traffic couldn't pass.

Im hoping there's an easy / above board way of getting their drive widened, without fuss.

MightyMunster

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118373974#Comment_118373974

Cars on the footpaths are illegally parked aren't they? Call the council or Gardai to enforce the law

Laid Back Bill

If the council and Gardai don't enforce parking on main streets they're certainly not going to do it in a cul de sac in housing estate. So many houses now are 2+ car households so on street parking is a problem everywhere.

Laid Back Bill

So on the occasions that you and your sister in law happen to be in your in laws house, at the same time, you think that the neighbour should move their cars to accommodate you both?

How does that makes sense?

elperello

If they own the house getting permission to enlarge the off street parking area to facilitate the Parkinson's patient should be no problem.

Of course the neighbours might object but that objection would need to be on planning grounds to be successful and even if it is you can appeal.

Seems like your best bet given that the roadway is too narrow for a disabled access bay.

C. Eastwood

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058224327/driveway-expansion-parking-dispute

Laid Back Bill, phone the Cork City Planning Dept and get the email address of the Area Planner. Email the Planner and Inform them that you need an Official Disabled Parking Space for your father in law. Give the address and Eircode of the house. Allow the Planner to decide if the width of the road can accommodate the Disabled Parking space on the public road.

If the Planner decides that the public road is not wide enough they may suggest that you should widen the vehicular access to your driveway.

You already have a vehicular assess to your property, therefore depending on the Planners reply to the above, you could ask the planner (by email) - for a declaration under Section 5 to widen the existing vehicular access. - Section 5 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, is to establish if a particular development is or is not an exempted development within the meaning of the Act.

If the Planner refuses to grant the Section 5 declaration - you will have to submit a Planning Application to widen the vehicular access etc. Make sure to state that it is for a person with a Disability. I would not mention anything whatsoever about the neighbours.

Laid Back Bill

@C. Eastwood very useful, thank you.

Laid Back Bill

@bubblypop perhaps you misread the post. The ask of them was to leave enough room between their 2 x cars parked on the street, so 1 x car could be parked in between them, on the street, in front of the in law's drive. Not an unreasonable request by any stretch of the imagination.

Masala

Why don’t ye leave the drive empty and leave the main car on the street... ?..

when end visitors arrive they can use the drive

i presume if ye are on the street... the neighbor will have to find another spot further along.

Laid Back Bill

@Masala as I said, when both of us visit, 1 car goes in the drive, the other car parks directly in front of the drive. There is enough room for us to park in front of our drive, between the neighbours cars, if they moved their car, in front of our house, by 2-3 feet. And there is room for them to do this, easily. They just don't like being asked to do it.

andy6

Widen your in-laws drive for access..i think theres a grant for the elderly for block paving or something where the person has a disability.

Then thats 2 car spaces outside their house.

That means that access surely has to allow for 2 cars to park? Im sure the inlaws might forgo their sliver of grass for the sake of peace

Laid Back Bill

@andy6 yeah they've no issue losing the patch of grass. Ideal scenerio is a widened drive. Anything that's done will p**s off the neighbours but, their inflexibility to give a little more room outside has led to this.

wotzgoingon

Why doesn't one car park in driveway and the other in front of the entrance to the driveway and then when car in driveway wants to move the other car will just have to move out of the way and then drive in to house parking spot when th other car leaves?

chooseusername

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118376869#Comment_118376869

read this;

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118376800#Comment_118376800

wotzgoingon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118378453#Comment_118378453

I posted before I had read the thread. After posting I had then since read through and seen that post. But what can you do i had already made the post.

Del2005

Why do both of you need to park directly outside of someone else's house when you are visiting? I could partially understand if you lived there, which doesn't charge the answer, but since you are only visiting they have as much right as you to park there. Why should they move to allow someone to park?

C. Eastwood

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118378532#Comment_118378532

If Laid Back Bill gets permission to fit a second pair of vehicular access gates, then no one is entitled to park outside and block these gates, by law. Also Laid Back Bill doesn’t have to give anyone any reasons whatsoever in relation to parking, he is entitled to do what ever he wants within the law. If you cannot understand this fully- that is totally irrelevant. Langers are caused him problems.

https://youtu.be/t_Vy_ADJVmg

Laid Back Bill

@Del2005 we don't need to do that at all. Read the thread.

TheW1zard

Apply for the width to be enlarged.

Observations will be considered but if it's all within reason it will be approved. Then widen your driveway, allowing you to park in peace.

fullstop

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118378575#Comment_118378575

Similar applies to the neighbours. They are entitled to do whatever they want, within the law, and that’s exactly what they’re doing.

TheW1zard

My neighbour started acting the bollox over parking, asked me to move my car so he could park etc.

I widened the driveway and switched the sides to eliminate the parking. Not only did the council okay this through planning but my neighbour now has to park up the road.

If you act the thick dont be surprised when you get got