Council has blocked my way out to the shops (From Echo)
Get involved: send your pictures, video, news and views by texting ECHONEWS to 80360, or email us »
Council has blocked my way out to the shops
2:00pm Friday 24th February 2012 in Castle Point By Paul Offord
Marooned – Robert Grant on his barge in Benfleet Creek
A DISABLED pensioner claims a council is trying to force him from his houseboat after blocking off an access road to Benfleet Creek.
Robert Grant, 65, has lived in a converted barge in a run-down boatyard off Canvey Road, Canvey, for the past 14 years.
He cannot drive, has a bad back and can only walk with two sticks. Because of this, he is reliant on friends, who usually drive into a makeshift car park near his boat and transport him to the shops.
However, Essex County Council has blocked the entrance to the area with mounds of earth, which it insisted yesterday had to be done to keep out flytippers.
Mr Grant said: “Because of my condition, I need someone to pick me up and take me shopping, so I can buy food. Otherwise I’ll die.
“Now the car park has been blocked-off they have to wait for me on the main road. I have to try to walk up a slope to get there, which is dangerous and really difficult for me.”
Mr Grant thinks the council is trying to force him to move from the boat and close down the boatyard. He feels he is being punished for the untidy state of the rest of the site.
He said: “It has been like a rubbish tip down here for years, but I still live here and they are making my life nearly impossible by doing this.”
Tracey Chapman, county councillor responsible for highways and transportation, said: “The land in question is not actually a car park. The area was being used as such in breach of planning regulations. There is no official vehicular access and cars have entered over the kerb.
“There has also been a large amount of flytipping on the plot.
“Essex County Council was approached to resolve the problems and the only way we could prevent them from happening again was to install an earth bund to stop illegal access.”
Comments(17)
Everydaypeople
says...
3:24pm Fri 24 Feb 12
Brunning999
says...
3:49pm Fri 24 Feb 12
alimac69
says...
4:04pm Fri 24 Feb 12
doasilikey
says...
4:32pm Fri 24 Feb 12
alimac69 wrote:I think I was thinking along the same lines. I was thinking, blimey!, if the old boy manages to embark and disembark that boat surely he can make it across relatively level ground to the road?
Walking with two sticks on a boat must be quite difficult. How does he manage that?
Still, I suppose "Council has blocked my way to the shops" gets more attention than "Council have caused me a small inconvenience".
rjsizzler
says...
4:55pm Fri 24 Feb 12
Oh, hang on.
John T Pharro
says...
5:08pm Fri 24 Feb 12
Everydaypeople wrote:Correct in every point. The only thing that should have happened is that action should have been taken far earlier to prevent this and all the cost involved. I noticed a vehicle backed down the walkway that the Council left in. Looks like they now need a post put in to stop that doesn't it. Especially as it would make it impossible for Mr Grant to walk down to the road with that parked there!!! After all his friends have to pick him up from the road he says.
Whilst I feel sorry for this guy I have to say I feel the action taken is necessary. This was not a carpark it was a a muddy mess and the vehicles constantly driving on and off it left mud , dirt , gravel and debris all over the road which is extremely dangerous especially for motorcycles , I have however noticed vehicles are now parking on the pavemnt completely blocking it I hope the council quickly take action to stop thus aswell . At the end of the day there is no planning permission for a car park here .
AnotherSister
says...
5:44pm Fri 24 Feb 12
doasilikey wrote:He's only 65!
alimac69 wrote:I think I was thinking along the same lines. I was thinking, blimey!, if the old boy manages to embark and disembark that boat surely he can make it across relatively level ground to the road?
Walking with two sticks on a boat must be quite difficult. How does he manage that?
Still, I suppose "Council has blocked my way to the shops" gets more attention than "Council have caused me a small inconvenience".
Valentino
says...
5:51pm Fri 24 Feb 12
doasilikey
says...
5:53pm Fri 24 Feb 12
AnotherSister wrote:Well, he is older than me (just!) and has the air of an "old boy" about him by the look of the photo. I certainly take your point though.
doasilikey wrote:He's only 65!
alimac69 wrote:I think I was thinking along the same lines. I was thinking, blimey!, if the old boy manages to embark and disembark that boat surely he can make it across relatively level ground to the road?
Walking with two sticks on a boat must be quite difficult. How does he manage that?
Still, I suppose "Council has blocked my way to the shops" gets more attention than "Council have caused me a small inconvenience".
see what i mean
says...
8:36pm Fri 24 Feb 12
upset
says...
9:39am Sat 25 Feb 12
The car scrap yard down Haven Road had to put a screen up to hide the eyesore, why not make this lot do the same?
APR
says...
10:22pm Sat 25 Feb 12
Everydaypeople
says...
11:06pm Sat 25 Feb 12
Let's hope the council act quickly on this blatant disregard for rules .
upset
says...
12:37pm Sun 26 Feb 12
Everydaypeople wrote:Lets hope the Echo do a follow up story and not just take every opportunity to knock a Council.
And I notice tonight someone has dug out a big enough gap to allow access and their are 4x4 s back in the "non carpark"
Let's hope the council act quickly on this blatant disregard for rules .
APR
says...
9:54pm Fri 2 Mar 12
It's like reading the front page of the Sun on here.
All headline and no story
upset
says...
9:52pm Sat 3 Mar 12
The Castle Point traffic wardens pass them every day as do the police and no tickets issued, when I used to launch a boat from the slip behind the barrier we always got tickets if we parked our cars there.
mr_happy says...
3:09pm Fri 24 Feb 12