Neighbours want to dig up our drive

Davesnave

J_S_H wrote: »

I do have it in writing (email) from them that this work isn’t necessary for us...for what that would be worth?

In that case quote it back to them saying, "Thank you, but no thanks."

See where that gets you, but don't hold your breath.

Unlike others here, who are mostly reacting emotionally, I've had first hand dealings with Western Power and Openreach, so I know how limited one's influence can be in circumstances where push comes to shove.

thereRnoWords

Remember though, you're not obstructing your neighbour's extension, you're trying to work with them so that the outcome for your family is acceptable. You've clearly already had to invest time in it (thinking, planning, emailing ...) that otherwise you would not have had to do. And the obstructive behaviour, delaying and pressure tactics are coming from those that won't give you the guarantees you need.
You have the email, 'the work isn't necessary for you';
Access to Neighbouring Properties Act/ NOT for improvements (moneytooshorttomention)
Take a deep breath, be brave ...
Let them/NP know, in writing, that their plan isn't going to work for you as things stand, without lifetime guarantees, etc, and that they need to come up with an alternative that won't disrupt your family, your driveway, that won't cause you unnecessary stress and distress (which could impact negatively on your mental health)

thereRnoWords

Just a thought - when you say adjoining neighbour, do you mean that you have rights under the Party Wall Act?

Doozergirl

If we try and think practically about this rather from a purely emotional viewpoint and especially moving away from distress and mental health problems caused by a trench. It is caused in our brains, not by outside parties.

How deep are these cables going exactly? How wide will the trench be? Over how long a distance?

The shallower and narrower the trench, the less the chance of future movement. If we are talking about something 45cm wide and 50cm deep, the chance of it sinking *after* your two year period is negligible. If they are ploughing up half the entire width of it to significant depth then there might be some concern beyond the 2 year period.

If NP deem that your supply is safer underground then it is something to be considered in terms of the ultimate benefit to you, as oppose to the blasted neighbours trying to do what we are all entitled to do and extend their house. I am sure they did not beg NP to come and dig up anybodys drive, least of all the OPs; they have been placed in that situation themselves. Vilifying them isn!!!8217;t any help.

Block paving is not a supremely skilled job. I physically laid 200 square metres of bricks on our drive. The sublayer is important, yes it is possible that movement could occur, but if it is not a huge trench it should be easy to compact the ground back and lay the blocks back in good fashion. 2 years for a moderate trench should be plenty of time for any settlement to occur and for NP to fix it. If it is going to, it should occur well within that time considering the amount of rain we get.

I have to do exactly the same to run new services up our exisitng drive to our new house and I am pretty sure that Cadent have asked for a 60cm deep trench with no significant width to it, it just needs to accommodate a cable. It does not particularly concern me and I am taking my own risk as I am not paying them thousands to do it for us.

billn

If this has been answered already please forgive me, have you asked why your connection cannot be left as it is and the neighbours put underground or is it some sort of share connection splitting before your meters?

The way I have read this is that NP want to dig up your drive for your connection or is it that they need to go over your drive for the neighbour's connection, if it is the latter NP may have the power to force the issue.

Sorry if these questions have been answered, do not do anything that you are not happy with just because it is what your neighbour wants. I hope you sort this out in a way you are happy with.

warby68

To turn it back into a negotiation where someone wants something from you as opposed to the other way round, I'd go with a polite but firm initial 'NO' in writing to both your neighbour and the NP contact.

State clearly your concerns and therefore what is required to turn your 'NO' into a 'YES'

If NP plough on regardless (and I do see this as likely with large utilities subbing work down through several layers so nuances such as does the neighbour agree might not feature on the day), then at least you have your view in writing if any future action is needed.

With neighbours and 'inevitable' things it is better to be practical and get a decent outcome from the situation rather than the intransigent 'how dare they even think of this' approach some favour. That can backfire too easily.

Here, the problem seems to be the rush and a neighbour possibly panicking having not previously realized the implications. To slow it down and simplify it might help. Stuff in writing is far better for this than 'he said. she said'. This equally applies if the neighbour is not just flapping but actually doesn't care. Its about moving the dynamic back to it being their problem not yours and the solution for them to find not you and also making it clear what your position was if any of the parties then choose to ignore it.

Le_Kirk

When I had my new fuel line installed (admittedly it was gas not electric) they didn't need to dig up the garden, decking nor patio as they used a boring tool from a hole in the road to a position just close to where the new meter had been fitted. Have you or your neighbour suggested this to the power provider?

rach_k

If NP won't confirm that they will fix any damage, inside and out, will the neighbour? The possibility of fixing a drive and some interior decoration might not cost much compared to their extension and they are the one who want it to go ahead.

jungle_jane

I also recommend you find out who the workers are and in what order/timeline they work. In my case I needed National Grid to come out and dig the holes. Then on a separate day 3 outsourced contract engineers from another organisation rocked up to do the cabling. They left the hole open for about 2 weeks as its a whole separate contractor filling the hole in. He failed to show once and then came the second time - all of which meant me staying in for 4 days.

From the time I first got the letter to say they needed to do the work it was 8 months before the first hole was dug and then another month while various people did various bits. They did not guarantee an exact match on the driveway but the way they did it looked fine and I had no issue with it. My OH is a builder and had discussed various options with them before they did the work and then again on the morning.

As an aside, the 3 engineers did something daft when they installed the cables - they turned the gas and electricity off during the works...then when they tried to get everything going again the gas just wouldn't work. I was without hot water for a few days waiting for a British Gas engineer to fix it. The guy just hadn't rebooted the boiler properly however it was £60 for the callout and 3 days with no hot water. I formally complained to National Grid and they repaid the £60 :eek:

Debbie_Savard

Nobody wants this in their garden!