Proposal to tidy up Northamptonshire estate roads where grass verges have been ruined by vehicles

Verges along Cowper Road, Dryden Avenue, Elizabeth Road and Highfield Road, have ended up as muddy puddles, stripped of grass, or even replaced with ad hoc mixes of gravel and stone.

Cllr Chris Long said: “The problem is there are simply not enough parking spaces for the houses along these roads.

“People park on the grass along the edge of the road, or trucks, buses and vans have to use them to pass cars parked on the road, and that means the grass quickly ends up as mud, or disappears in places.

“I’ve heard stories of people who work nights finding their cars completely blocked in by others. It can be a fight to get a space to park in.

“There are buses using some of these roads – sometimes double deckers. There are lorries delivering to shops, not to mention ones delivering to homes.

“There’s a risk it could start impacting on neighbourhood relations.

“The county council should look at doing something before a real problem emerges.

“The interesting thing is that the people living along here have identified a solution by accident to blocking the road – use the verges.

“What we need the council to do is spend a little money to re-enforce the grass.

“There is a type of plastic mesh you can lay over grass. It allows the plants to grow through, so it stays green. But it also holds the plants in place and stops wheels spinning and turning spots into muddy holes.

“Cowper Road has a wide green area you could use to provide herringbone parking. On the other roads the grass verges could become half-laybys which would allow cars to park and leave space down the middle for lorries and emergency services.

“The trouble is that to get the council to spend money, we need to show that there is a need for something to be done, and to show that we need the support of people living in the area.”

Cllr Long wants people to get in touch with him via [email protected] or by calling 07831 173707.