True, and councils are interested in money far more than anything else!
I’m out of options now.
The borough council & the County Council both refused to do anything about the gate. They came up with what I considered lame excuses.
I had hoped for more thorough investigation from my MP.
His secretary phoned me yesterday & the answer is the same. They had looked back at the records - which apparently stopped at 2009. The gate was there in 2009 she said and it would be impossible to get the council to remove it now.
She told me the MP cannot make the council remove it.
Looks like this is the end of the saga.
Such a shame Carol. Let’s hope the bollard in place, and your son leaving his gate open, keeps the neighbours satisfied. You can’t do anymore.
Fascinatingly convoluted thread, I haven’t read it all but it seems a lot of trouble to go to just to stop neighbours using a driveway to turn round because the lane is narrow.
TOTALLY agree, and I do mean totally.
You can’t seriously expect the council to do something to benefit the people of the borough! And you can’t seriously expect the government to do anything that doesn’t benefit the government!
You need to take the matter into your own hands. One nice dark night, you and some friends go out and silently remove it. Drive it away on the back of a truck and dump it far away and out of sight.
Kind of what I suggested a few pages back, but involving Mr Nasty and a bottle of whisky if the gate was suddenly gone… It’s certainly the kind of thing that would happen here, without a second thought…
Thanks Jazzi, that sums it up.
It’s over to them now…
As you say though Brucy, fascinating!!
Donkeyman!
I would say pathetic.
I think its more to do with the boorish neighbour who seems unwilling to come to any kind of agreement, and so resorts to some intimidation tactics.
Should Carol ever consider selling up and moving, she might find it interesting to offer her property to the biggest, meanest, hard-case interested.
I’d love to see the next-door bully’s face drop if that should happen!
There’s nothing like facing a bully with a much bigger bully to bring him down to earth.
I have not let them know of my failure with the MP/Council.
They might leave my property alone if they think there’s hope of the gate being removed.
It’s not a situation I would have wished to find myself in as an OAP but I love my house so have to put up with it & cope best I can. Made much harder of course as Tony can’t support me but my son is good & always speeds to my aid if I need him.
I have much to be thankful for.
I would have thought the easiest solution was to either ignore them or get a bigger bullbar.
I would not install a bollard it would imo serve to inflame an already unpleasant situation between neighbours.
I might think about gates . Or maybe a couple of well placed half barrels filled with flowers. Even easier if you’ve a car leave it on your drive
How would closed & locked gates be better than a bollard?
How would I get my car out with half barrels of flower pots in the way?
I do not leave my car in the drive open to the elements when I have a nice dry garage for it. Also somebody may decide to sabotage my car!!!
Whatever I do to prevent them using my drive is not going to be popular…
I’m sad that nobody respects another persons driveway (or anything to do with their home). If they have problems turning or whatever, maybe THEY should find another alternative, instead of causing you all this angst, Carol. 
But a good insight into human psychology l think Todger??
Covering both the actual situation and the forum responses don’t
you think ??
Donkeyman!
Yes, and also people.
Ok I thinking you have to live there …it’s best not to make an enemy of a neighbour .
A bollard isn’t normal in a domestic situation whilst gates are.
Gates would be less contentious.
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