Council targets car owners for parking on their own driveway

Drivers parking on their own properties are being hit by demands for huge amounts of cash from a London council that claims many are accessing their land illegally by driving over pavements.

The move, which could have ramifications across the whole country if other cash-strapped councils follow suit, has seen Lambeth Council mapping properties where residents are driving across pavements without permission to access their properties.

Around 200 homes have been targeted in Streatham Vale, where Lambeth Council is demanding that landowners cough up £4,000 apiece to get their pavement access approved. If their applications are successful, homeowners will also be liable for the cost of installing dropped kerbs for access.

According to reports, householders have been given pamphlets outlining plans to implement parking bays outside those properties that don’t have authorised access. Lambeth says it’s part of a “kerbside strategy” designed “to support resilience to the climate emergency”, on the basis that free or unrestricted parking has an impact on the climate. It has also targeted the area for parking permits.

Homeowners have accused the council of using them as cash cows, with many claiming their access has been in place for decades without any interest or interference from the council.
In a statement, Lambeth Council said it identified properties without dropped kerbs after launching a public consultation over the introduction of residents' parking permits for Streatham Vale, following concerns being raised that commuters were driving to the area to park for free before taking trains into central London.

A spokesman added: “It is illegal to drive a vehicle over the pavement without having an authorised vehicle crossover. This requires a resident to make an application, gain approval and pay for the works to adapt the highway to enable safe access.”

They also claimed that driving over pavements that have not been adapted for vehicle access can cause damage that the council must repair, and can lead to obstruction of the pavement due to overhanging vehicles.

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