Council tree stopping me getting off driveway

emma_here

NQManchester said:

If it’s like where I live some delinquent kid will probably come along and needlessly rip the tree out anyway 🤷‍♀️

Send him down sarf 😉 🌲 👋 

jimbog

Could you not drive in front first or turn left as you pull out by the lamp post?

Soot2006

I'm  pretty much done with councils these days. I think I would pay a friendly gypsy with a digger to get the tree up and replant it a few metres to the right. The council are hardly likely to measure, especially if you then look after the grass verge proper - reseed it, stop putting tracks on it, etc ....  I have an almost identical situation on my side of the road (with a BT pole) but as we're on a curve one cannot park opposite. I wouldn't be able to pull my van out if anyone did. It would lead to much forwards and back and any idea of sticking to the dropped kerb would evaporate.  I have sympathy!  My BT pole is marked for removal to across the street once it reaches the end of its life. The BT guy who checks them every year is sympathetic and marks down even the smllest damp patches, but he thinks that even with a very conservative assessment of its condition, it had at least 10 years in it.

theoretica

With hindsight, it is a pity you hadn't years ago applied for a drop kerb that was as wide as you actually need.  Can you really not get out without driving over the boundaries even with jiggling back and forwards?

Section62

Soot2006 said:

I'm  pretty much done with councils these days. I think I would pay a friendly gypsy with a digger to get the tree up and replant it a few metres to the right. The council are hardly likely to measure, especially if you then look after the grass verge proper - reseed it, stop putting tracks on it, etc .... 

What makes you think that?

Councils don't just randomly plant trees all over the place.  Each location will be chosen having regard to the impact it has on adjoining properties, other street furniture such as street lighting, and to avoid underground plant.  I'd suggest in this case the decision was to align the tree with the property boundary between the OP and their neighbour to the left of the photo, as this will cause the least constraint on either property having a wider crossover in future.  Moving the tree a few metres to the right will mean in time it will affect the light output from the streetlight.

It should also be noted that getting a "friendly gypsy with a digger" to start digging holes in the highway is illegal - not that you actually need a digger to plant a small tree.  If the "friendly gypsy" does any damage to underground equipment - such as the brand new superfast broadband cables - then you would be on the hook for the repair bill... the "friendly gypsy" will be nowhere to be seen.

The tree will have either been planted by a contractor working for the council, or possibly by the company responsible for the broadband works.  Either way, it is almost certain that pictures were taken of the tree as-planted as 'proof' the work had been done to the correct standard, in the right location.  Hence if your cunning plan depends on pretending the tree was always where it gets moved to by the "friendly gypsy" then it is doomed to fail.

The net result of the plan would be to 'p' off the council (and possibly the neighbours) and perhaps make the council take more notice of the wheel ruts caused by an oversize vehicle overrunning the verge. That in turn may result in the installation of wooden posts or conrete bollards... just to make sure the overrunning stops.

If the tree is "stopping" them getting on and off the driveway then the OP's crossover is hoplessly too narrow for their requirements.  They need to ask the council to put in a wider crossover... anything else (apart from parking their own car opposite) is ultimately going to have a negative outcome.

lookstraightahead

Why are trees being planted so close to the foundations of houses / driveways of properties? Do they have targets / boxes to tick? The roots will be pushing up the pavement in a few years.

Section62

lookstraightahead said:

Why are trees being planted so close to the foundations of houses / driveways of properties? Do they have targets / boxes to tick? The roots will be pushing up the pavement in a few years.

For street trees councils generally now only plant species which have a low water demand (giving some thought to climate change), and a deeper root system.  So problems with damage to foundations and footways/road surfaces should be minimal.

Although there are targets and boxes to tick, contrary to popular belief not all people working for councils are stupid.

Mgman1965

From what I can see the van is a motorhome/campervan.

If its not your daily driver and you store it on your driveway ( you state you have a car as well) the best solution may be to keep the motorhome on a storage site and the car on the drive.

Soot2006

Section62, I know you're right in principle, but given what people get away with these days I am over it.  I have never ever seen the council come back at the gypsies for  anything here, which is why they now do 90% of the driveways in the area and merrily add in illegal dropped kerbs nobody ever seems to care about.  Moving a tree is, to me, a lesser crime.  I do of course agree it wouldn't be the best idea to start digging new holes without a utilities map.  Perhaps I've just got too blase about everything!

Soot2006

OP, as it's a 3.5t van you could also just park it on the road, opposite your driveway. Keep the car on the driveway.