Can my neighbour park in the ginnel/alley behind our houses?

Posted by Jazzlike_Traffic8167@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 16 comments

I live in north Manchester and we have a ginnel/large alley behind our row of houses. It’s paved and pretty wide. Everyone keeps their bins out in the ginnel all the time.

Our neighbour living on the end of a perpendicular row of houses (with its own ginnel) parks his car in our ginnel (so to the side of his house but behind mine)

This has always infuriated me a bit - no one else parks in the ginnel, there is plenty of street parking, and it’s not his ginnel (his joins onto 2 other ginnels on either end so wouldn’t make sense to park there) - but also it doesn’t seem like these are owned by anyone so must be council property.

Him parking there doesn’t block pedestrian access as it’s so wide, but it does stop me or my neighbour having vehicle access our back gardens when we need to (e.g. builders, gardeners etc.) and we also have washing lines out there across the ginnel that can’t be used when a car is parked there.

Now I’m actually pissed off because the bin collectors used to just come down the ginnel and take our bins, but they have said that due to parked cars in the ginnel they can no longer do this and we have to put our bins in a collection point (they were previously coming down on foot and putting bins in collection points themselves when the car prevented their access)

I know plenty of people have to put their bins out and I’m not that hard done by, but it’s the principle! I also don’t like this neighbour for various other reasons. I believe the neighbour in question is also having to put his bins out now as he is also blocking access to his own ginnel, but is still parking there.

I plan to contact the council and see what they say but I wanted people’s opinions on this - do you think it’s ok for him to park there? Does anyone know of any rules on this?

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Big_Cheese16@reddit

If he's blocking the lane. Then he's blocking emergency access.

Make sure to raise that with the council.

Is it a private lane or does it count as a public road? Possibly call 101 as it may count as a police matter if it's a public road.

We called the police on a neighbor who refused to move and blocked a public road. They came out at 7am the next morning.

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RealLongwayround@reddit

Police are obliged to act if access to the highway is blocked, not access from the highway. I doubt a ginnel is an adopted part of the highway.

As for emergency access, emergency services would just go round the front.

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Big_Cheese16@reddit

That is still blocking emergency access to fires at the back houses and medical emergency in back gardens so still classified and blocking emergency access.

And for the highway, in my case the neighbor was parked across the entrance to a private lane. Nobody blocked in or couldn't get out. But he was still told to move it for blocking the highway.

So like I said, it's worth calling 101. It's a non emergency number so the worst that's going to happen is they'll point OP in the right direction

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RealLongwayround@reddit

I’d never criticise anyone for ringing 101, so your advice there is very much correct. Note however that OP stated that pedestrian access to the rear was not blocked. Emergency services do not need more than pedestrian access.

eat-real-chips@reddit

Just put a note on the car asking him to stop because of it’s for access which is now impaired?

draenog_@reddit

Notes are rarely a good idea in cases like these, it's so easy to misjudge tone.

People almost always prefer that you come and speak to them directly.

Absolutely right. I have a couple parking spaces behind my house. No signs or indications they belong to anyone.

Came out one morning to a note saying THIS SPACE IS MINE

No name, house number or phone number so I just carried on parking there and a few weeks later a very angry lady appeared when I parked up one day. To inform me I have the one next to her. I told her next time just come knock on the door, speak to me or leave your house number so I can come to you and we could have sorted it out straight away.

Had her tenancy agreement in her hand to prove it too.

Best part is she never uses the parking space. Always parks out the front.

imperfect_and_tense@reddit

Should have...

Kept the note
Shown her the note. "Sorry. This note says it's mine"

escapingfromelba@reddit

Notes are a great way to get people to ignore you. Speak to them and there's far less chance of that.

Brokella@reddit

Will his car being there possibly impede emergency services?

whiskeysmoker13@reddit

My question too.

smudgethomas@reddit

Check your deeds.

Ginnels/alleys/passages etc were usually provided for access and each house owned their bit and was responsible for maintenance (cobbles or ash were often the surface originally). But had to make it accessible for all at all times, often the wording will be pretty obvious.

It may be your neighbour is parking on a bit that isn't theirs which would make it trespass. If they are parking on land that's not theirs regularly that's a whole other legal thing. Get legal advice before calling a tow truck.

But also: go and say "hey, listen. Before this turns into a whole thing. Would you be so kind as to not park there. I'd much rather just ask and not make a big fuss but the bin men aren't able to get down and the old folks round here struggle to move their bins." If they're reasonable (and a lot of people are) they may go "oh no I didn't realise, sorry will do."

nrsys@reddit

A couple of things to consider;

You can freely park on a typical public road, unless explicitly marked otherwise. You are not allowed to park on private land without the permission of the landowner. It is not clear what the alleyway will actually be, and so what the rule would be here.

Either way, if their parking was not obstructing anyone then it wouldn't be a big issue, but if they are blocking access for other users, then they definitely should not be parking there.

The first step would be to speak to the person if you know which house they live at, or leaving a note if you don't - it is as simple as 'we have gotten complaints from the council that your car was blocking access, would you be able to park it elsewhere please?'

Most people are reasonable, and we're just making use of a convenient quiet spot that was not being visibly used by anyone else, but if they know they are causing an issue will be happy to stop. If they are unreasonable or belligerent, then you call in people like the council, fire service and others who will have the powers to shift a car.

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