‘It’s ridiculous… the council have massively overreacted’: Couple whose new driveway was blocked with bollards to stop them parking on it say ‘even the workmen looked embarrassed’ and it’s made the pavement LESS safe
- The homeowner, from Darlington, said they only installed the drive in March
- The council says it would have warned her against this if she had told them first
A couple looked on in horror as council workmen erected two bollards blocking them from entering their own driveway.
Amanda and Neil Cousins, both, 51, had spent thousands renovating their dilapidated front garden with block paving and erected a fence around it.
But a council highways inspector drove past and saw Neil’s car parked on the new drive, setting in motion a wrangle which has ended with the couple being unable to use the newly paved area.
Last week workmen arrived and ‘apologetically’ put the posts in place, making the front of their home in Middleton St George, near Darlington, County Durham, completely redundant.
The couple park their cars in an adjoining street while the large paved area remains empty.
Amanda Cousins says she became ‘blocked’ from her using her own driveway when two bollards were erected outside her home
Amanda Cousins says the bollards were erected after a council officer drove past her home and spotted the newly paved driveway
Mr and Mrs Cousins says they’ve been left ‘blocked’ from using their own driveway after the bollards were installed (pictured)
Neighbour Julie Cox, 61, has joined the couple in their anger because she says the bollards have further restricted an already narrow pavement for her mobility scooter.
Amanda explained: ‘Our garden was a bit of a mess with tree roots coming up through the earth and making it very untidy.
‘It was open to access for people walking by and kids used to take a short cut through it.
‘We thought it would look a lot smarter if we paved it and put a fence around it, there was never any intention to use it as a driveway as such.
‘Neil works away all week and would sometimes park his car there at weekends.
‘Unfortunately on one of those few occasions a council inspector drove by and we received a letter telling us we couldn’t use the area as a drive.
READ MORE HERE: Man who had sex with his wife over a bollard to get revenge on the neighbour who installed it in a row over parking must pay her £250 compensation for the distress caused
‘The front of our house comes out directly onto a crossing that was put in place for children on their way to the local school, which is just around the corner from where we live.
‘We accepted that completely and decided not to use it for the car any more and to park in bays in the street that runs alongside the house.
‘However the next thing we knew we were warned by letter that bollards would be erected and then there were workmen in the street putting them up.’We stood there in disbelief. Even the workmen seemed embarrassed. They apologised but said they had to do it because that’s what they had been told to do.
‘We’re not bothered about not being able to park there, that was never the issue, we just wanted it tidy and looking nicer.’But now it looks awful, no one wants a path leading up to two massive bollards right in front of their home.’The council have massively over reacted and in doing that they have made the pavement unsafe.’
People with wheelchairs struggle to get past and the kids use the bollards to swing around right next to a busy road. It’s just a ridiculous situation.’
Mrs Cox said: ‘There are so many things the council could have spent money on in this area and they waste cash doing this.
Julie Cox (left), 61, has joined her neighbour Amanda Cousins (right) complaining about the bollards, which she says have restricted an already narrow pavement for her mobility scooter
Amanda Cousins says the bollards have rendered her driveway in Darlington, County Durham, completely useless
The bollards have been installed directly outside the property to stop people driving over a school crossing
‘The pavement is narrow and sloping and they’ve now made it even worse, it’s a hazard for me to use in my scooter and I fell really sorry for Neil and Amanda to be stuck with this.
‘Someone should take them out and plonk them in front of the council headquarters, it just hasn’t been thought through.’
During the school run, parked cars flank either side of the road with vehicles forced to squeeze through tight gaps while also staying aware of schoolchildren crossing.
There are no warning signs suggesting a school crossing is ahead but a lollipop lady is currently managing the traffic.
Local councillor Deborah Laing sympathises with the resident but says requests to relocate the crossing, in partnership with the council, have failed so far.
Cllr Laing said: ‘It’s very difficult and we have asked the questions but we have not got anywhere yet.
‘She has everything going against her and we’re trying to find a feasible solution. I can understand the council’s decision but I really sympathise with her as it’s very difficult in the village with parking.’
A Darlington Borough Council spokesperson added: ‘There must be a properly constructed vehicle crossing if residents want to park on a driveway.
‘The location must be inspected by the Highways Authority to ensure it is safe. We always try to accommodate requests but there are occasions when we have to refuse, for example, if it’s close to a junction or crossing.
‘On this occasion the resident did not contact the Highway Authority before building their block paving.
‘If they had, they would have been advised that a vehicle crossing would not be allowed due to the existing crossing, which is also a school crossing patrol location and has been for many years.
‘We have been in discussions with the resident for several months and have explored the possibility of moving the crossing point but this has not been possible due to on street parking, bus stops and nearby road junctions.
‘The resident told us they would be extending their fence to close the gap but this has not happened so reluctantly we have had to install bollards to prevent cars driving over the footpath.
‘It is regretful that we were unable to help this resident but we have a duty of care to keep everyone safe.’
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