Outraged residents are expressing their frustration over a controversial initiative by a Labour council that requires them to shell out £7,000 per household just to use their own driveways for parking.
Lambeth Council in south London has pinpointed 200 homes in the area where drivers are deemed to be ‘illegally parked’ due to the absence of lowered curbs on their driveways. This situation forces them to cross council-owned pavements to access their own parking spots.
The affected properties are concentrated in the Streatham Vale neighborhood of the borough, where inhabitants are informed that they must request planning approval to install lowered curbs and cover the associated costs for the necessary modifications.
It is estimated the process will cost residents around £7,000 in the move which could generate up to £1million for the council.
Motorists will have to fork out £4,000 for each application plus close to £2,000 for constructing a dropped kerb.
Further costs include obtaining clearance from the highways department and opting to get a white line painted to deter other motorists from parking there.
The council has warned that those not paying for the works face the prospect of parking bays being placed outside their driveways, thereby restricting access.
Residents hit by the changes in Streatham Vale have accused Lambeth Council of using motorists as a ‘cash cow’ as it grapples with a financial crisis.
Figures show that Lambeth faces a £69.9 million funding gap for the forthcoming financial year.
Furious homeowners say they are being forced to pay £7,000 each just to park their cars on their own driveways by a ‘greedy’ in a controversial new scheme. Mohammad Musharraf (pictured) said: ‘The cost of a dropped kerb is too much, and we need this driveway for our vehicle to take residents to hospital appointments and for activities’
Lambeth Council in south London has identified 200 properties in the borough where motorists are ‘illegally parked’ because they are using driveways that do not have a dropped kerb, meaning they have to drive across council-owned pavements to park on their own land
All the properties are located in the Streatham Vale area of the borough where residents have been told they will have to apply for planning permission to drop the kerb and then pay for the work to be carried out
Residents hit by the changes in Streatham Vale have accused Lambeth Council of using motorists as a ‘cash cow’ as it grapples with a financial crisis. Pictured: Page 1 of a consultation document residents recieved in December
Many residents condemned the ‘exorbitant’ fees for dropped kerbs while also claiming that they bought their properties without them ‘years’ ago and until now, have never been challenged over them.
Speaking to MailOnline, Kevin Joyce, 64 a lecturer said: ‘The council doesn’t provide proper services but just want to nickel and dime us to screw more money out of us. It’s absolutely disgraceful and is nothing but a scam.
‘I’ve lived in this house for more than 30 years and when I bought it, the driveway never had a dropped kerb.
‘It’s never been a problem, the council have never said anything so why is it an issue now? To be honest, I never thought about making a dropped kerb, but I don’t want to be cut off from my driveway so might have to pay to get one put in.’
He added: ‘The council is facing a lot of financial problems so has probably come up with this hair brained scheme to generate some money.
They are just being greedy b****ards. If they do want us to have dropped kerbs, then why are they making it so expensive?’
Mohamoud Ali, 25, who has been living in his home for the past five years with his family said: ‘My car is only worth around £5,000 which is less than what it would cost me to put in a dropped kerb.
Speaking to MailOnline, Kevin Joyce, a lecturer (pictured), said: ‘The council doesn’t provide proper services but just want to nickel and dime us to screw more money out of us. It’s absolutely disgraceful and is nothing but a scam’
It is estimated the process will cost residents around £7,000 in the move which could generate up to £1million for the council
Many residents condemned the ‘exorbitant’ fees for dropped kerbs while also claiming that they bought their properties without them ‘years’ ago and until now, have never been challenged over them
‘I might now sell it and get the bus because my parking space will be worth more than my car. That just doesn’t make sense.
‘The driveway of this house has always been like this, even before we moved in and nobody from the council said anything to us. So why are we now being punished for not having a dropped kerb? It’s disgusting that they want to charge so much for it.’
Fozia Aga, 55, admitted that she only built a driveway three years ago without a dropped kerb after the council rejected her application for one.
She said: ‘I really need this driveway because parking is so difficult around here. I even let my elderly neighbour’s relatives and carers use it when they visit, so I’m actually doing some good for the community.
‘I realise that I should have had a dropped kerb but can assure you that that the cost is not close to £6,000. Putting one in should be around half that but this is a case of the Council trying to rip us off and make money out of desperate motorists.’
Lambeth’s move to clamp down on driveways without dropped kerbs forms part of its ‘kerbside strategy’ which it claims will help to tackle the ‘climate emergency’ because ‘free unrestricted parking…has an impact on our climate.’ The council is committed to being net zero by 2030.
The strategy includes ‘opening up the kerbside’ by creating ‘parklets’ that will offer seating, accessible green spaces and community gardens.
A leaflet distributed to local residents on the issue of driveways without dropped kerbs stated: ‘If these accesses are not formalised in accordance with the council’s policy, then parking bays may be placed in front of them, blocking access.’
Fozia Aga (pictured), 55, admitted that she only built a driveway three years ago without a dropped kerb after the council rejected her application for one
Pictured: Page 2&3 of a consultation document residents received in December
Suzanne, who has lived in her home for more than ten years, said: ‘The driveway to this house has never had one so I thought none of this applied to me and just threw the leaflet in the bin.
‘I’m very angry and upset about this because financially, things are very difficult as it is. Now I’m going to have to fork out thousands of pounds just to get into my own driveway. This is nothing but a cynical money-making scheme.’
Kyle McGibbon, 33, an accountant revealed that he only used his car, parked on a large driveway outside his home for social reasons.
He said: ‘This is not great news. I’ve always thought that it would be good to have a dropped kerb but just never did it because when I bought the house there wasn’t one. What I don’t understand is why the Council is charging so much.’
Some workers in the area also expressed their anger at the new proposals.
Mohammad Musharraf, the manager of a supported living home in the heart of Streatham Vale, said: ‘The cost of a dropped kerb is too much, and we need this driveway for our vehicle to take residents to hospital appointments and for activities.
Mohamoud Ali (pictured), 25, who has been living in his home for the past five years with his family said: ‘My car is only worth around £5,000 which is less than what it would cost me to put in a dropped kerb
Pictured: One of a number of homes with no dropped curb on Greyhound Lane, Streatham Vale
‘I’ve worked her for a few years and there’s never been a dropped kerb and we’ve never had any problems with the council.’
Lambeth Council said it identified properties without dropped kerbs after it launched a public consultation about introducing residents’ parking permits for Streatham Vale amid concerns 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.’
The spokesman added that driving over pavements not adapted for vehicles causes damage that the council has to repair, as well as creating a risk that cars overhang onto pavements creating an obstruction.
