Neighbourhood mediation’s aim is to come to concrete resolutions to a problem that are then written down in a legally binding contract which is drawn up jointly by both parties to the dispute.
There are many areas where Hampshire Mediation can help if there is disagreement between neighbours.
- Disagreements over the exact location of boundary lines
- Access to amenities
- Pets that are not confined to their owners’ property and any damage they may do to neighbours’ properties
- Noise within neighbourhoods, which is so often a source for disagreement but which can be very effectively negotiated, and thus resolved, with mediation
- Changes to the architecture or appearance of a neighbour’s house or garden can lead to fractious relationships
- Disagreement about the course of a footpath, public or private, can also be a contentious issue that is potentially very successfully mediated
- Disputes over planning permission applications – either before, during or after the planning process – can also arise, and again, are helpfully negotiated by mediation
- Fishing rights in streams or other bodies of water occasionally cause disagreement and can be successfully mediated
Mediation in neighbourhood disputes is particularly valuable, not only has an 85% success rate in finding a solution that everyone can live with, but also because it helps people to restore formerly amicable relationships. This is particularly important when, after the mediation, parties need to go on living in close proximity to one another.
The restoration of amicable relationships is one of the hidden benefits of working with Hampshire Mediation. People who go to court rarely feel happy with the outcome, even if they win the case. With mediation, everyone finds a solution they can live with, and more importantly, all of their concerns in the issue are fully explored and heard – something that never happens in court! Once people have had the chance to sit down and calmly discuss their concerns and issues with the disagreement, and new solutions are explored with the help of a mediator from Hampshire Mediation, they are often able to view the problem in an entirely new way and thus move easily towards a solution.
Hampshire Mediation can work speedily to arrange a mediation and that means in days or weeks, as opposed to the sometimes months or years it takes to bring a case to court. This way you don’t have to live near a neighbour with whom you are in disagreement.
You know up front how much it is going to cost – there are no financial surprises. The length of the mediation is agreed upon once the mediator has a general understanding of the nature of the dispute. Hampshire Mediation works together with the participants to agree a likely length of time for the meeting.
