Developers and access

Gladys94

sheramber said:

is the changed access a problem for you or are you just being awkward?

A bit of both. The changed access will mean adding about half a mile to our exit point. Add to that having to live on a building site for the next 20 years, so very likely a reduction in our house value for that period. And this is all after 7 years of being treated like idiots. 

penners324

Offer to part exchange for 1 of the bigger properties they build first.....

TripleH

I like Penners324's suggestion provided you are happy to remain in the area and what they are building is appropriate to your needs.

There is always appearing reasonable which makes it hard for the others side to be aggressive as the council will still want to minimise any bad publicity.

This suggestion also means they have no outlay which could mess up their cash flow.

Section62

TripleH said:

There is always appearing reasonable which makes it hard for the others side to be aggressive as the council will still want to minimise any bad publicity.

The development is being progressed by two developers rather than the council - in this case the council can (pretend to) be the neutral arbitrator.

It wouldn't be difficult to spin the story as "one nimby is preventing the construction of homes for 2000 families in desperate need of somewhere to live".  Public support for injured parties is often very fickle.

There aren't many 2000+ home new garden suburb developments planned near major 'A' roads... if I've guessed the one affecting the OP correctly then it appears to be generally well supported in the local area.  That all needs to be factored in to the OP's approach - as user1977 suggests, a local agent is going to have the best feel for how this could go.

Section62

Gladys94 said:

sheramber said:

is the changed access a problem for you or are you just being awkward?

A bit of both. The changed access will mean adding about half a mile to our exit point. Add to that having to live on a building site for the next 20 years, so very likely a reduction in our house value for that period. And this is all after 7 years of being treated like idiots. 

It might be useful if you could clarify whether the developer needs any land that you own, vs you having right of access over land the developer now owns and plans to alter (meaning your access arrangements will change).

Some of the more optimistic assessments might be based on people thinking you have a 'ransom strip', rather than just being in a position where your access will be less convenient than you currently have.

Gladys94

Section62 said:

TripleH said:

There is always appearing reasonable which makes it hard for the others side to be aggressive as the council will still want to minimise any bad publicity.

The development is being progressed by two developers rather than the council - in this case the council can (pretend to) be the neutral arbitrator.

It wouldn't be difficult to spin the story as "one nimby is preventing the construction of homes for 2000 families in desperate need of somewhere to live".  Public support for injured parties is often very fickle.

There aren't many 2000+ home new garden suburb developments planned near major 'A' roads... if I've guessed the one affecting the OP correctly then it appears to be generally well supported in the local area.  That all needs to be factored in to the OP's approach - as user1977 suggests, a local agent is going to have the best feel for how this could go.

You probably have guessed correctly, but it effectively takes out green space between two distinct urban areas and there isn't much support for that on the ground - although, as usual, publicity and consultation haven't been great. Many local residents are still expressing surprise over it (and horror). I think you're right about the benefits of an agent. It's all way above our expertise. I would add that it's not about stopping the development, either. We're probably better disposed towards it than most. We just don't want to live on a building site and, sorry to sound like a broken record, but we've been lied to, ignored, offered half the value of our house - so ... some redress for all of that would be nice. 

Gladys94

Section62 said:

Gladys94 said:

sheramber said:

is the changed access a problem for you or are you just being awkward?

A bit of both. The changed access will mean adding about half a mile to our exit point. Add to that having to live on a building site for the next 20 years, so very likely a reduction in our house value for that period. And this is all after 7 years of being treated like idiots. 

It might be useful if you could clarify whether the developer needs any land that you own, vs you having right of access over land the developer now owns and plans to alter (meaning your access arrangements will change).

Some of the more optimistic assessments might be based on people thinking you have a 'ransom strip', rather than just being in a position where your access will be less convenient than you currently have.

The developers have always claimed they don't need our land. And you're right - it's not a ransom strip, but it is covered by law. 

Gladys94

penners324 said:

Offer to part exchange for 1 of the bigger properties they build first.....

The old team offered that in the early days, as long as we ported our mortgage over so that it didn't cost them anything. That was before we knew we had the easement. Looking back, I should have questioned why they were talking to us at all.