Complaint about container sitting in neighbour’s yard
One of my neighbours has a 40-foot metal container in his yard and has done since we moved in five years ago. They are an utter eyesore. We have spoken with him and he won’t move them. My wife thinks there is a solution, but given the number of these ugly things around the island, I don’t think so.
Auntie’s answer: It seems this is the week for dealing with blots on our landscape. Anyway, your wife is right, but the solution does require you to take some action, though it is not clear from your question if you are talking about one or more containers.
Two different departments are involved in dealing with the issue of containers on private property. The Department of Planning regulates land use so your neighbour would have had to get permission from them to place a container in his yard, depending on the reason for doing so. Your first step, therefore, would be to contact that department (call 244-6501 or email) to find out if planning granted that permission.
Either way, however, a Department of Environmental Health (DEH) official explained that if the container is “deteriorated and causing a nuisance or is prejudicial to health”, the neighbour can be served with an abatement notice to require its removal. To get that process started, you need to contact DEH (call 743-5942, email or go to the DEH website to download the appropriate form) to make a complaint. Be prepared to provide the address/location of the property and the particulars of the nuisance so the department can investigate.
Category: Ask Auntie, Environmental Questions
Is there a reason for them having a container there? Are they doing renovations, etc.?
You could try moving to one of those gated communities with lots of covenants, because as soon as the container is moved you’re going to be pissed off with the colour of their house or the length of the grass etc.
They bought cheap but want expensive. You gets what you paid for.
You moved there when there was a container. More fool you.
So that excuses a nasty neighbor from messing up his property, spoiling his neighbor’s property and ruining the general outlook of the island? Not much of an answer, bobo. But we can see what your attitude would be.
Quite agree; don’t come into a community and try to change it.