access

[coolo]

My property backs onto a tenfoot. The tenfoot is currently being considered for a gating scheme for security reasons. When I moved into my property in 2000 the back fence had a gate giving access to the tenfoot. Since then my family have used this access to walk through the tenfoot and in turn the road down to the school. We have just had written notice but not a legal notice that we will not be able to use this access once the gating system is introduced. This has come about by the fact that one of the neighbours has objected to us and others along our drive having access. I am not sure what to do from here, I have heared that if I have used this access for over 5 years without any objection then I am now legally entitled to use the access. Can you tell me if this is correct or indeed if you have come across this situation before. If so what is my next step to securing this access.

[buildersmate]

Assuming you are in England/Wales, it isn't 5 years but 20 to start the process of claiming either a private or a private right of way. Thus there would be nothing that you could do.

I say 'assuming', because I haven't the faintest idea what a tenfoot looks like. What sort of development is one of those?

[ChuckFickens]

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term =tenfoot

[buildersmate]

I see. That's today's learning point done then.

[buildersmate]

I wonder if you know who owns the land of the tenfoot then? It presumably isn't part of the public highway. It might be owned by the local authority (but isn't part of a public highway), or it could still be owned by the developer of the properties. Is this development old? Was it formerly council houses?

[ChuckFickens]

I would have no idea, I also have never heard that term used down here in the south where i am, only ever heard it up north, I had to ask what they meant by "pull into the tenfoot to park"

[coolo]

A tenfoot is a vehicle access that runs behind the back of a row of houses, this is to access the garages to the rear of the dwelling. Ey up bye gum, sorry for the different language we use up here but it works for us.