Is the local council responsible?

maggie1947

My parents own there own home and live beside the local play park,which has a soccer pitch in it.
the fences are quite high,but not high enough!
i was visiting today and the amount of footballs been kicked in was shocking.
they said this happens everyday,plants,pots,lights been smashed.
they have even been hit on the head with footballs,the teenagers then try climb over there fence looking the balls back.
have the council an obligation to have a higher fence/net to stop this happening?

SiliconChip

What was the council's response when the issues were reported to them?

maggie1947

That’s the thing,my parents have said this is going on years(I thought it was an odd football a month).
they did not contact the council about it,they did not want to cause a stir,
but I am going to.

user1977

How long has the pitch been there? How long have your parents been there? How high is the fence?

sevenhills

maggie1947 said:

My parents own there own home and live beside the local play park,which has a soccer pitch in it.
the fences are quite high, but not high enough!

There is the standard fence and then a high one, it sounds like a high fence. Every day sounds excessive, can that be true?

Six feet would be a high fence, for a ball to go over a high fence every day?

maggie1947

Parents have been there 22 years.the park has been there longer,but the refurbished it 20 years ago(new fencing etc)
the teenagers kick the ball from therehands,I think some it it as a challenge or trying to be funny.
yes,it’s every day school finished,the park fills up.
the fence with the goals could be 25f and it then drops down to 20f right around.
Iv been told it’s rugby balls a lot of the time.

maggie1947

They said the young kids are grand,it’s when the teenagers come everyday and booting the ball into there garden.
it goes into next door as well,but he does be away a lot travelling,so comes home to broken plants /lights on back wall etc..

dunstonh

have the council an obligation to have a higher fence/net to stop this happening?

No.    The parish council will consider cases where there are issues but netting requires planning permission.     And netting has its negatives, which can impact the planning permission decision i.e. birds, sunlight/shading.  Plus it is not very attractive and other neighbours may not support the planning application.

Your parents have the right to contact the parish council to make such a request.   However, it would help if they kept a diary of dates/times and number of balls and type of ball.  Maybe some photos.  That will help identify if it is a particular sporting activity is predominantly at fault and whether any alternative mitigation is possible (i.e. rotating the pitch).

It will also put some figures to back their argument.   Without figures, it does seem somewhat unlikely that every day, with multiple houses, each of them getting balls in the garden.  So, figures would provide useful data.   Getting neighbours on board as well.   Collective arguments carry more strength than a single person.