'I've been forced to pay £7,500 just to use my own driveway - I'm livid'

11 July 2023 , 14:06

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Robert Medcalfe, 36, is in a legal battle to keep using his drive. (Image: Grant Williams)

A North London resident says he has spent £7,500 in legal fees in a fierce battle with his neighbour over the rights to a driveway.

Robert Medcalfe, 36, has locked horns with Alisson Roberto Teixeira, who has applied to build a two-storey house behind his house in Dollis Hill. Mr Teixeira wants to use the driveway - which separates the two properties - as an access road to the house.

Mr Teixeira’s neighbours have branded his plans “ludicrous” and “outrageous”, while Mr Medcalfe claims it is “completely unlawful”. He said that as the “co-owner” - something he claims he can prove - the plan “relies on his consent”.

He added: “I’m absolutely outraged and livid by the whole thing. It’s a complete shock. How can you try to do something with someone’s property without speaking with them and getting permission? That’s not what neighbours do.”

It was never Mr Medcalfe’s intention to get involved in a legal battle and be forced to pay high legal fees, he told MyLondon. He thought they had “already dealt with it with the last application” - a similar plan was rejected by Brent Council in February.

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Local residents are putting pressure on the council to again reject Mr Teixeira’s plans, with one calling it a “tiresome application” with the “preposterous and I imagine completely unlawful” proposal of using the shared drive as an access road.

A change.org petition has been set up and earned 188 signatures from local residents who dislike the plan. It called for an outright rejection of all future appeals from Mr Teixeira.

Another resident said: “It would be completely detrimental to the road and surrounding properties! I simply do not see any positives of this proposal but I certainly see an endless list of negatives”.

The plans, if approved, would involve car parking for two vehicles at the front and would be a multiple occupancy house, meaning there may be multiple people using the drive daily. The plan would also mean the demolition of a garage at the back of the driveway.

White House Design Ltd, the architects behind the prospective development, and Mr Teixeira were approached for comment.

Grant Williams