Hi GillM - I certainly take your points. I'm not trying to paint every resident on Fairlawn in the same light, I can only recount my own experience.
When that woman was abusing me over the parking, people came out from the house beside hers (and I think one other) and shouted their support for her. Maybe you didn't see that, as you went back indoors.
Twice in the past year I have had to sidestep police cordon tape or been redirected because the police have been doing a drugs raid in the street. Does that count as 'regular'? Maybe not, but it's not something that in years past.
As for the parking outside the school, I'd just like to assure you that the school in no way condones it and is desperately trying to get it stopped. Just like the situation with Fairlawn as a whole, it is down to a small number of regular offenders. I have talked to the headmaster about this. He regularly sends out notices to the parents. He has spoken to the children in assembly and asked them to talk to their parents about it. He has asked for a regular police presence at drop off and pick up times, where possible. At one stage there was talk of an enforcement camera going in. The school puts out cones to reinforce the no parking zone. The result is these people double parking further up the road. It's the same problem that we are talking about in general on this thread - what do you do with people who don't think the rules apply to them and don't care?
We'll being using the new facilities in Home Park this summer - I'm going to send my kids over to the adventure playground while I have a spin at the outdoor gym. There is a simple but proved process for reclaiming public spaces - we just need to use them, and use them regularly. I'm confident that all the work the FOHP have done will not go to waste - I for one won't be frightened off.