Parking - Builders changed their plans - Now what??

taliwillow

Hello,

I am hoping someone can offer some advice asI am quite miffed (to say the least) with thebuilders of our site but don't really know what we can do about it (probably nothing).

In October 2005 we put a deposit down on a new house that was due to be completed in April 2006. We only put a depositdown after numerous conversations with sales staff regarding parking as we have had parking issues where we lived previously. Basically, they told us that although we only get 1 allocated space per house, the main road into the estate would be widened, once the sales office and car park are demolished, so people can park the other cars on that bit of road. They are now getting towards the end of the build (and the sales people have changed as Kings Oak have now left the site and Barratt are in their place) and they have stopped us from using the car park (they have put barriers up so will only let customers in), they have put doubleyellow lines down the road into the site(the road we were meant to be able to park on, and on speaking to a sales person I have now been told that there are absolutely no plans to create any more parking on the site and they are now also going to build another 100 properties on the other side of the road and all of those people will only get 1 space per house too (so there are going to be more cars without spaces!).
We have looked at moving house but we can't afford it and houses around here aren't selling at the moment and we can't get rid of our cars as we both work in the middle of nowhere so public transport isn't easy (although there is talk of a train station being re opened near where my husband works so maybe thats an option eventually but who knows). The nearest place for me to park is a few streets away (about 5-10 mins walk) which definately isn't ideal as I am having a baby in 3 months so could do with being closer to the house.
I think if we had been informed of this before we bought the house then we probably wouldn't have bought it. I'm just really annoyed that they told many of us a pack of lies to get us to buy the houses and now we have bought them they have totally changed their plans.
Are they allowed to do this and is there anything we can do to fight to get them to widen the road in certain places for parking?

Sorry its so long.

Taliwillow

m178591

Might be worth talking to your local planners. When I bought the house I am in now, which was in 2001 and was a new development the site manager told me that to comply with the building regs (or maybe planning) they had to allow for parking for two cars for every residence. Not sure whether this was just our development or not. He gave me the impression it was a general rule which applied to all new developments. It might be worth asking someone in the planning department if this is the case with your development and if so then asking the developers and the planners some awkward questions. It may be that in the initial planning there was enough parking but in subsequent revisions changes have been made and the initial provision of extra parking has been overlooked. The double yellow lines you mention for example. Its a long shot but it might be worth investigating.

daveyjp

Check the status of the double yellow lines, they need a Local Authority Traffic Regulation Order to be enforced. Your local highways Department will be able to advise.

Richard_Webster

If the sales people told you stuff did you get your solicitor to get
the builder's solicitors to confirm what you were told? You will usually find that the contract you signed exempts from any liability for any verbal representations that might have been made by sales people, because for one thing the builder will have no record of what was said.

As a conveyancing solicitor I believe the information given in the post to be useful but I accept no liability except to fee-paying clients