A homeowner has said the driveway at the side of her new-build home is not ‘fit for purpose’ due to being too narrow.

Helen Thompson said she has been battling with developer David Wilson Homes for nearly three years at the new build in Longridge.

She moved into the property back in January 2022 in Oystercatcher Lane, only to discover the driveway was too narrow for her car, a Nissan Qashqai SUV.

While the driveway is wide enough to drive onto, to have enough room to open the doors closest to the house wall she has to park on the very left of the drive, meaning anyone on the passenger side of the car has to get out onto a grassed area belonging to the next-door neighbour.

After making the discovery, Helen set about making enquiries regarding the width of the drive presuming ‘a mistake had been made with the plans’.

Helen said: “As can be seen from the photographs, there is a brick wall on one side and the land to the other side belongs to my neighbours. 

“There is insufficient room for a passenger to alight from the car without treading on the neighbour's land, and it is difficult for the driver to exit the vehicle as the car door can't be fully extended due to the wall.

“It is obvious to all except the developers that the drive is not fit for its purpose.

"I have never used the drive since the day I moved in, and fortunately I am currently able to park the car in front of the property.”

The neighbour has since put out planters along the border of their garden, something Helen said she has no issue with.

The homeowner says the driveway is not wide enough.The homeowner says the developer's response of a 'neighbourly dispute' was incorrect.She said: “This is only possible until the development is completed because the area on which I park is not yet operational as the road for the adjacent show homes.

“David Wilson Homes’s repeated response is that the plans are correct.

“After eight months the head of customer care came to the house (August 2022) and said she would investigate whether I had access to use the land of my neighbour.

“It was noted the neighbours had positioned plant pots at the perimeter of their land and she implied there was a ‘neighbour dispute’.

“I have never discussed the pots with the neighbours and therefore there is no dispute. I am obviously keen to maintain good relations with the neighbours and I have not used the drive."

Helen added: “Unfortunately, it complicates the issue as should I try to use the drive, the positioning of the pots means that I would be unable to open the car door and whilst this is not helpful, the primary issue is that the drive is not wide enough.

“Despite my repeated confirmation that there isn’t a dispute between myself and the neighbours, David Wilson Homes claims that they can’t involve themselves in neighbourly disputes.”

David Wilson Homes is a brand of Barratt Developments.

A spokesperson for David Wilson Homes said: “We apologise that the boundary fence needs to be moved. We have asked an independent surveyor to look into this matter, so we can resolve this as soon as possible for the residents.

“Separately, we are aware that one of the residents is also unhappy about the size of her driveway. However, the driveway is in-line with planning approval, and the house and driveway were built when the customer viewed and purchased this.”