Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Rubbish in your Neighbour's Garden?
At the last Area Assembly Councillor Canver mentioned a solution to clearing problem rubbish in neighbours' front gardens. I contacted her afterwards and asked if she might provide additional details. I have just received her reply including a response from the the appropriate council officer, which I have reproduced below:
Local Authorities have the power to issue several types of Statutory Notice requiring land owners or occupiers of land to clear any build up of waste or anything else that is either harmful to human health, Nuisance, detrimental to the local amenity or providing harbourage for rats and mice. These circumstances are judged by authorised officers by way of a visit to the location. Quite often, issues such as these can be solved by negotiation but authorised officers can serve notice at any time and require the owner/occupier to carry out work, which is reasonable, to improve the area. If the owner/occupier fails to carry out the work, they are in breach on the notice and can be prosecuted and fined for this breach.
The Council, in these circumstances, would usually carry out necessary work in default and charge the owner/occupier for this work. These Notices can be a very effective way in clearing land but can take some time in achieving the required result. Owner/occupiers have a right of appeal to a magistrate if they believe the Notice is unfair or drafted incorrectly. Notices, once served, must by law give the recipient time to carry out the work required, usually 28 days from the serving of the Notice.
Haringey Council is very proactive in the use of Statutory Notices as a tool to encourage compliance of the law, in the current financial year to date, 2,974 Statutory Notices have been served concerning land, environmental crime, food safety and a range of other statutory functions carried out by the Enforcement Service.
The legislation used mostly in connection with the service of notices is;
· Environmental Protection Act 1990
· Town and Country Planning Act 1990
· Prevention of Damage by Pests Act 1949
I have asked Nilgun to let me have contact details for the appropriate department and I will post them as soon as I have them.
Local Authorities have the power to issue several types of Statutory Notice requiring land owners or occupiers of land to clear any build up of waste or anything else that is either harmful to human health, Nuisance, detrimental to the local amenity or providing harbourage for rats and mice. These circumstances are judged by authorised officers by way of a visit to the location. Quite often, issues such as these can be solved by negotiation but authorised officers can serve notice at any time and require the owner/occupier to carry out work, which is reasonable, to improve the area. If the owner/occupier fails to carry out the work, they are in breach on the notice and can be prosecuted and fined for this breach.
The Council, in these circumstances, would usually carry out necessary work in default and charge the owner/occupier for this work. These Notices can be a very effective way in clearing land but can take some time in achieving the required result. Owner/occupiers have a right of appeal to a magistrate if they believe the Notice is unfair or drafted incorrectly. Notices, once served, must by law give the recipient time to carry out the work required, usually 28 days from the serving of the Notice.
Haringey Council is very proactive in the use of Statutory Notices as a tool to encourage compliance of the law, in the current financial year to date, 2,974 Statutory Notices have been served concerning land, environmental crime, food safety and a range of other statutory functions carried out by the Enforcement Service.
The legislation used mostly in connection with the service of notices is;
· Environmental Protection Act 1990
· Town and Country Planning Act 1990
· Prevention of Damage by Pests Act 1949
I have asked Nilgun to let me have contact details for the appropriate department and I will post them as soon as I have them.
Tags for Forum Posts: front gardens, housing, rubbish
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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OK, I was served with one of these notices this week after I left some carpet (bad I know) and the old front fence (just over a week). I sent them a snotty email with some pictures of the neatly stacked "ex fence" but have not had a reply. if they are serving them on front yards like mine then 2,974 is a bogus number. Incidentally, I had to replace the fence and front gate because the bin men wrecked it.
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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Agreed. From what you've said, this sounds like the Council using their powers somewhat vexatiously. That's a shame since there's so much other enforcement that is left undone.
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Permalink Reply by Anette on
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why do they not do this where there's a blatant health hazard, a lot of the HMO's around here have awful front gardens. Hmpf!
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I have reported 2 old mattresses and got knowa what else dumped in the front garden of the house of horrors across the road. The council just called me, left a message to say they don't collect old mattresses - but I was welcome to call the property owner myself and offer them the councils collection service at £16 something for up to six items!!!! What??? This is potentially a health hazard, heaven knows what will move in to those, and who will set fire to them to chuck them in to the road. I am sooooo annoyed! So they gove notices to normal people, but not to a HMO that's full of ASBO rubbish that wakes us up on a regular basis, and makes this road less that pleasant to live on??
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Permalink Reply by Liz on
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This is of course plain crazy.
If those people then decide to dump them in the Harringay passage (which I hope they don't) you could then report the rubbish as flytipping and they would be removed!!
There is no will to 'encourage'/ tackle irresponsible landlords / owners to keep it tidy and very little sign of those enforcement people we hear so much about and never see...
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Permalink Reply by Alison P on
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Hello. Just logged on to find out how to report this myself. Instead have phoned the letting agent who say they will deal with it 'today or tomorrow'... Fingers crossed...
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I was given another number by Hharingey Accord when I called to give them a piece of my mind. It's for the Enforcement Team. 0208 489 5230. I was told to tell them it's dumed rubbish, they will serve a notice. I'll call them tomorrow unless Limelight Properties manages to actually sort this s**thole out. Which I doubt.
I hate living near that house!!!!!
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For anyone who's interested, I've just had a frustrating call to the Enforcement team. My complaint was logged on March 5th. They have until the 19th - that's 14 days!! - to drag themselves out to see what the problem is. They then have to find out through the land registry who the owner is. I offered to tell them, but they would not have it from me. After they have done a land registry search (and getting owners details costs money - OUR money!), the owner then has 14 days to respond. Which means dumped rubbush can happily stay where it is for at least a month. This is really not good enough. In my case it's some old mattresses, that will no doubt attract more rubbish.
the owner, Limielight Properties - should anyone from the council read this, and want to save some time money - promised to remove them over a week ago. Have they? Have they bo****s! I'm pretty peeved with this ridiculous system.
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Permalink Reply by Margaret Fowler on
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There have been old mattresses, furniture, fences and most other forms of rubbish in the front gardens of HMOs in Salisbury Road for the last 6 months. I was told at an area meeting that the Council can't do anything but that I could approach the occupants of the houses and ask them to move it.
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Ask the occupants to dump it on the street and then Accord will take it away within 24 hours. They should have no fear of prosecution by the council as... they don't do that.
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occupants who leave that stuff in their front gardens for that long does not seem to be the sort of people you can safely ask to do anything...
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It is the same issue as the reporting of fouling dogs. The advice should not be for residents to take these matters on by themselves and as Anette so rightly suggests risk abuse or even violence. While the lovely Mr McM would obviously politely explain that he is dealing with his rubbish, approaching the majority of people about the contents of their garden would not be advisable...I have found that many inhabitants of this city take extraordinary exception to another citizen's request to refrain from anti social behaviour.
You could of course approach the local councillors about persistent offenders, I have found them pretty helpful so far at approaching departments about enforcement on behalf of residents...(and I have no political affiliation in case you are wondering)
Carolyn.Baker@haringey.gov.uk
Karen.Alexander2@haringey.gov.uk
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