ToughButterCup Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 Now that our windows are in and our frontage has been cleared I'm a bit shocked by the amount of parking there is outside our house. And so are the residents of our little lane too. A normal Class 2 LGV will fit in it with space to spare for one or two cars. Our Lane is really narrow. Two bikes side by side is tight. And of course that means people look at the space outside our place, heave a sigh of relief, and park up to have a phone chat to their friends, dump their fish and chips and coffee cups and so on. The look on some of their faces when I turn up in the digger and few mm from their bumper is worth photographing. When the HERAS comes down, all of the space outside the frontage will be open to the roadside. How do I manage that space sensitively? I really don't mind people parking for a few minutes because they want to make a phone call safely. And removable bollards are - well - crass. But we're beginning to get fast food rubbish and plastic bottles from folk who make (lets call it) an overnight stop. Well, you know, quiet narrow lane off the beaten track...... I'm tempted to use PIR lights, but I'm a bit concerned that they'll blind drivers, and that doesn't solve the day time parking issue. Ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newhome Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 Fence? Hedge? Dummy CCTV camera and private property sign? Large stones or planters apart from the bit where you need vehicular access? It looks like quite a large area there, bigger than a normal drive anyway. Or you may find that once the fencing is down and it looks like a lived in house they may be less inclined to park there anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
le-cerveau Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 How will it be finished off? Wall, fence, hedge.... If you have no more major equipment to come on site I would consider to start installing the end solution, so people don't get used to the space. If left open (as you say) it will get abused. PIR light shining down and they shouldn't be driving that fast if it is a narrow lane anyway! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stones Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 In the short term I'd be moving the Heras fencing out so there is just a standard verge width left, perhaps forming a site entrance of sorts. Long term I think you will need something there, planters, rocks, trees even, otherwise people will continue to use it as they already are. Any chance of a longer shot photo showing how this area fits into the lane, neighbouring property etc? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 Here, the Highland council have a specification of how an entrance from the road should be made, it has a mini "deceleration" lane before the actual entrance. and the first 3 metres must be tarmac. Basically they are dictating that we provide an additional passing space on the single track road, and people use it as that. Put up a sign saying CCTV in use? might stop the dogging? I suspect once it is obvious the house is occupied and complete, much of the parking issues will go away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted August 16, 2018 Author Share Posted August 16, 2018 1 hour ago, Stones said: [...] Any chance of a longer shot photo showing how this area fits into the lane, neighbouring property etc? The Apprentice Sphinx reclining in the road is called Molly. That's the only dogging that goes on here @ProDave I like the idea of a couple of gabions........ positioned about a car's width from the edge of the road to give people the chance to pull over to allow another to get by. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Punter Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 I am with @Stones regarding the Heras. Set it nice and straight and maybe in line with the neighbouring buildings. Regarding boundary treatments, have a look around and go with what fits in. Maybe get @Redoctober round to tidy up a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted August 16, 2018 Author Share Posted August 16, 2018 1 minute ago, Mr Punter said: [...] Maybe get @Redoctober round to tidy up a bit. Messy is he? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliMcLeod Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 (edited) A house near us has a similar space as the entrances to their garden (though the road past their house is a country road, it is wide enough to allows two cars to pass and it has speed bumps so they typically have to slow down anyway). What that have done is place a pot about 1/3 of the way from either end, so that there is an obvious entrance to their plot but it stops people parking parallel to the road in the space. In a previous house, we had a smaller opening which had gates and found that if the gates were open, people would use the top part of our drive as a turning point (we had gravel so could hear them) - we were at the end of the village so figured it was when people have missed where they were intending to go. Edited August 16, 2018 by AliMcLeod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redoctober Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 57 minutes ago, Mr Punter said: I am with @Stones regarding the Heras. Set it nice and straight and maybe in line with the neighbouring buildings. Regarding boundary treatments, have a look around and go with what fits in. Maybe get @Redoctober round to tidy up a bit. Ha ha @Mr Punter - Yes, I agree with both you and @Stones regarding the Heras fencing. In the short term it will help educate / discourage passing traffic to not park on the open and inviting verge. Long term a hedge / fence, planters or some nice over sized rocks may assist. @recoveringacademic messy? I'll leave others to comment but you may finds the answer via my blog ! ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redoctober Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 3 hours ago, recoveringacademic said: Now that our windows are in and our frontage has been cleared I'm a bit shocked by the amount of parking there is outside our house. Sorry forgot to mention - you will be able to get that scaffolding out won't you ?? ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted August 16, 2018 Author Share Posted August 16, 2018 56 minutes ago, Redoctober said: Sorry forgot to mention - you will be able to get that scaffolding out won't you ?? ? Scratching my head about that: one of the doors cannot be unlocked. I'm just so relieved that I have the doors and windows in. It's strange to the point of being illogical that putting them in has drawn my attention to the size of the forecourt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 4 hours ago, recoveringacademic said: .... But we're beginning to get fast food rubbish and plastic bottles from folk who make (lets call it) an overnight stop. Well, you know, quiet narrow lane off the beaten track...... 4 hours ago, ProDave said: Put up a sign saying CCTV in use? might stop the dogging? Well you have me beat now. Just what were you referring to in the highlighted bit? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Harris Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 We had a nuisance parking problem at our old house. We own a wide strip of grass verge, that was originally here as a visibility splay, before the drive was moved, so now could be a part of the front garden. However, it's the other side of a double rendered block wall with an established hedge between the two walls, so would be a bit of work to move the boundary fence/wall/hedge out to where it should be. People were parking on this, usually transit-like vans from workmen, and three times our drain cover (that's in the middle of this verge) has been broken. I tried putting up signs, to no avail, so made up some concrete bollards, by just pouring concrete into cheap buckets. They've worked a treat, and didn't cost a lot. IIRC, each bucket holds about 18kg of concrete - enough to make the bollards heavy enough to stop them being casually moved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted August 16, 2018 Author Share Posted August 16, 2018 4 minutes ago, JSHarris said: [...] each bucket holds about 18kg of concrete - enough to make the bollards heavy enough to stop them being casually moved. By chance - to act as sheeting tie-downs - I have several of these already. As a base and popped into a moveable bollard / cone / marker of some sort, they'll make an excellent deterrent. Thanks everyone for helping me think this one through. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe90 Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 (edited) Is your drive and visibility splay specced on your planning application? Does it have to be that big?Temporary bollards (so you could get HGV in there if you really wanted to) might be an answer! Also PIR lights will diswade use as a car park at night. If I remember correctly from our fight with the council over access and splays, visibility can be over a grass bank up to 250mm high so a grass bank with vertical edges still count as visibility splays. Edited August 16, 2018 by joe90 Add Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted August 16, 2018 Author Share Posted August 16, 2018 1 hour ago, ProDave said: Well you have me beat now. Just what were you referring to in the highlighted bit? The release of youthful energy and joie de vivre. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 Just now, recoveringacademic said: The release of youthful energy and joie de vivre. Nope. I am useless at cryptic crosswords. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Temp Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 As it stands it looks just like a layby. I think a low stone wall and perhaps even some gates would look good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gone West Posted August 17, 2018 Share Posted August 17, 2018 When we were building our house we took the hedge down to allow access for cranes etc. This left a nice large area of front garden which people thought nothing of parking in and then taking their dogs for a walk. One day I caught a chap parking and asked him what the hell he thought he was doing parking in my front garden. He was apologetic but said so you want me to move the car. I must have been having a bad day because I told him in no uncertain terms to shift it straightaway. After that several piles of pallets along the the frontage stopped further incursions. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted August 18, 2018 Author Share Posted August 18, 2018 On 16/08/2018 at 23:36, Temp said: As it stands it looks just like a layby. [...] Exactly. I think a combination of two or three rows of raised setts to show our curtilage three stone-filled gabions with a small tree in each and one or two removable bollards each with a concrete core some low-level lighting might well do the trick. meanwhile HERAS right up the front, until the end of the build. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdinand Posted August 18, 2018 Share Posted August 18, 2018 (edited) Far too complicated. Install a Ha-ha. With spikes, just like the Romans used to. See Alesia, Battle of. Whatever you install must be visible. If some divot drives their car into your concealed rock, you may end up liable. Edited August 18, 2018 by Ferdinand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triassic Posted September 1, 2018 Share Posted September 1, 2018 I happened to be driving down the A6 earlier today and found this great lay-by. No litter bin in sight though! Not sure whose house it is but the builder wasn’t to be seen. Mind you the roof and windows are looking fantastic. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterW Posted September 1, 2018 Share Posted September 1, 2018 Just now, Triassic said: I happened to be driving down the A6 earlier today and found this great lay-by. No litter bin in sight though! Not sure whose house it is but the builder wasn’t to be seen. Mind you the roof and windows are looking fantastic. Did you use that urinal they have on the side ...??? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted September 1, 2018 Author Share Posted September 1, 2018 Revenge is a dish best taken cold. ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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