Overview
- Rochford District Council ordered on Monday that 85‑year‑old David Siggins must remove a 3m by 5m block‑paved driveway that was laid over a grass verge the council says it owns.
- The council says a planning application for the driveway was refused and an appeal was dismissed, and it is using that outcome to justify enforcement action.
- Mr Siggins, who has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and uses two crutches, says he spent £2,200 after receiving what he says was written advice from officers that he could proceed and has now instructed a solicitor.
- The authority says it has received a number of complaints and that the verge forms part of a larger title with public open space restrictions, and it has given Mr Siggins until the end of August to decide how to proceed.
- The case highlights confusion between district and county roles on kerbs and verges, the human impact of enforcement on an elderly disabled resident, and the risk of legal action if the dispute is not resolved.