Garden issue

gadget88

So a few months back I said about getting a driveway as I had a damaged slab. I looked into it and was going to keep the shared middle path. So anyway it seems my neighbours have decided to go down this route as I over heard conversation and they possible said they can touch middle bit. It’s open plan so any skips jcb could be in my garden and they are not the type of people to ask. I had weighed up moving rather than new windows and a driveway too. Obviously I can’t be there to see what they do 24/7 but I’d say the middle slabs to get put in a skip and boundaries come over to my side what happens next? Not sure I would want to pay to put it right and may encourage me to move even more?

twopenny

You are overthinking this and making it the worst possible scenario.

They were discussing it, not stating it.

They possible said 'they can touch the middle bit' but that was only part of the discussion.

Nothing has happened yet and you don't know the rest of the conversation.

You could go to the council and ask if planning permission is needed for the drive way which is a positive thing to do,.

Certain roads you do need that.

You can look at your deeds and see which area is shared and get a copy made for you to keep.

ArbitraryRandom

Talk to them. Maybe over coffee and a piece of cake...

And as above, do take a look at your deeds to be sure you understand who owns that strip (is it joint ownership or is there a defined boundary with shared use/access) as it's very unlikely they can (or would) do something to a shared area without at least talking to you about it. It could be that you even like their plans and can afford/decide to go in and get the whole space done the same (the quote might not be double if the builder is there doing the work anyway).  

If you don't want to do that (from your other posts I get the impression you might not want to) then the passive aggressive option would be to park a car on your drive, close to the boundary, and leave it there. If you have a car that you use daily, this may involve borrowing one from a friend who doesn't use it and parking yours elsewhere. 

Again, this is not the recommended course of action but if you are anxious that they may do something without notifying you/while you're out then something like this may provide reassurance. 

gadget88

Thanks good idea I don’t drive so not sure that’s an option. They are very forward and have in past parked in my driveway! My worry is if they did go ahead and I come back and my slabs gone I would be out of pocket fixing it. We have a drain pipe which serves as a good guide so it goes down half the slab. Logically they could ask us but we don’t chat to them so I think it’s unlikely. We have had various neighbours in and out as it’s rented so I am surprised such work is going ahead. A lot of houses mid Terrance end of Terrance seem to be open plan these days. Obviously I could get a new driveway to match up but that would be mean a lot of expensive for me.