A group of homeowners are embroiled in a row over a strip of land outside their houses.
Owners of a row of former council houses at 25 to 30 Bedford Avenue, Grange Moor, want Kirklees Council to surface the land, which they have to cross and which they say is dangerous for elderly people to use.
But the residents, who all bought their homes under Right to Buy, say they have had conflicting advice from Kirklees over who owns the land, who is responsible for maintaining it and whether they should pay a fee to get paperwork showing they have right of access over it.
Ward councillor Bill Armer, who has been pursuing the residents’ cause with Kirklees for the past 18 months, said the situation was “confused and confusing.”
Kerb lines at the front of the houses gave the impression that the land was a roadway. After firstly being told that the land was unadopted, Clr Armer has established that the land was owned/managed by Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing (KNH). However, some council officers had suggested that the residents had no formal right of access to their own houses.
Following a site meeting last year, KNH officers had written to residents saying they had to pay to ensure legal right of access to their homes – with costs varying from more than £600 to buy the land or to secure an ‘easement’ over it to an annual £32 fee to secure right of passage.
Resident Jacquie Sykes, 71, who has lived in her house for 48 years, said the situation was “disgusting.” She said: “We want it surfacing because it is unsafe.
“One lady has a walker and she has to carry it from her door over the road because it is uneven. We have to go into the main road if we want to walk safely. It’s ridiculous.”
Clr Armer said the residents had been “very badly served by the council with conflicting and contradictory advice.”
A spokesperson for Kirklees confirmed the council owned the land and it was managed by KNH. As it was not a public highway, it was not possible to fund any major changes to the strip of land at this time. However, the option to consider alternative sources of funding was offered to ward councillors.
The spokesperson said residents had always had right of access, which was included in paperwork associated with Right to Buy. But the legal nature of the documents meant they were not simple to understand. To make the rights clearer for residents it had been suggested they may want to consider the option of formally documenting their rights.
The spokesperson said: “We appreciate that this is a complicated situation and are sorry for any confusion there may be, but the council and KNH will continue to work with residents in this regard with the aim of finding a satisfactory solution for all.”
