Please can someone advise me as Im hitting a brick wall.  I live in a culde sac. Which is on a new development,  last week we had some workman come down and do some work by the river (in our culde sac),  they said it was for a new bridge to be installed.  This morning I could not get out of my drive for through traffic on this piece of road for the offices behind.  Ive spoken to someone from planning who say that planning permission was overlooked. We have had no letters nothing.  There is also no railings guarding the river (which is fast flowing).  There is small children playing outside most of the time who before today whee quite safe. What can I do?

Contact the council , local planning department, the contracting firm and the highways authority and tell them the situation and remind them that they ALL have a DUTY OF CARE to those people affected by their actions .
Legally they have to ensure that no one is injured or harmed by their actions which clearly there is a possibility of .
Lel

Thanks lel Ive spoken to the council who putme onto local planning dept who admitted no-one had sought planning permission,  but will be in the next 4 months.  Im so cross Im still shaking I bought the house at a hell of a price because of the peace and quite and most importantly the safety for my little one.  (also for myself I sleep walk and living on a main road is not an option).

I am quite bemused by this because shouldnt the work be stopped if no permission has been sought ?
I know if you or I had started something without permission we would have to stop or remove it ?
What about contacting the local paper to do a story - about the dangers caused at present and the incompetencies of the council ? Theres usually some interest in things like this .
or your local councillor or MP ??

They dont like it when you kick up a fuss - and maybe get your neighbours to do a petition

If you ring the local health and safety exec and explain that the works are dangerous thay will go and see it prompto ! I did it with a site that was unsecure near us and said that local kids were playing in the compound and there were down to see me that afternoon ! :)

I am sure if they deem the works to be unsafe, they do have the powers to close it down until such time it is safe.

Lucy
xx

Im going to go home at lunch and take some pictures. Weird Ive never been one to stand up and be counted, Im usually the one laying down all chilled.

There are times you have to stand up and be counted Emma
We kicked up a fuss a few years back because they planned to build houses on the land behind our houses which contained the only childrens play area around . We contacted the local MP, local councillors and the papers. We even arranged meetings with the Housing association that was planning the work . After doing some research we found that under the Unitary Development Plan they have to provide play areas when they are building over a certain amount of new properties in the area. The lady nearly fell through the floor when we stated this and asked how on earth we had found out about the UDP?
Never stopped the development unfortunately but we did get a new play area

If it was the other way round Emma they'd be jumping on you from a great height.... tell them you want work stopped immediately & planning permission must be sought by them.. if you don't they'll just carry on & finish the work.

Geoff :)

Definately !!

But they are already driving through. I asked what would happen if I parked my car infront of my neighbours house and they said I would be fined for obstructing a highway.  When I said 'but it has no planning permisson to be there' . The reply I got was 'We will move it'.
Anyway Ive gone home and theyve put a wooden slates up against the river. 

If you have need to contact them again make sure you tell them that you are contacting both your local councillor AND local paper ( idle threats can often have an effect). Tell them you have also already taken photographs of the river banks and the obstructions . They dont know that you havent .

Hi Emma

As I live on a new developement myself  I know what a nightmare it can be, untill the local council take over the roads (usually at the end of the development) they are classed as private roads so you can not be fined because the police have no jurisdiction over them, I found out when we had lorries blocking the roads so the bin men couldnt get their truck down to empty the bins and I rang the council who said they couldnt ask them to move because of it being a private road. To get round this and get the lorries and work vans moved I rang the fire brigade and explained to them that if the bin men couldnt get down neither could a fire engine, they were brilliant and had a fire engine down within 3 hours to check, when they couldnt get the engine past all the vehicles the fireman in charge went straight to the site office and told them that if they didnt move them they could get the police to fine them because it was a potential fire hazard.

Nikki

Hi if its to do with the river try contacting the Enviroment Agency rather than the council they should be able to help they are often responsible for rivers and there banks.
:)