A Fife man’s efforts to sell his late mother’s home have been thwarted by a neighbour’s controversial sculpture park and accumulating rubbish.
John Kirby, 62, has been unable to find buyers for the two-bedroom semi-detached property in Dalgety Bay due to artist Denis Carbonaro’s unconventional garden installations.
The situation has escalated recently, with Carbonaro adding household items such as fridges and shopping trolleys to his outdoor display.
Kirby, whose mother recently passed away aged 86, has launched an online petition to rally community support and pressure local authorities to intervene.
A Fife man’s efforts to sell his late mother’s home have been thwarted by a neighbour’s controversial sculpture park and accumulating rubbishChange.org
“I’ve tried everything from going to the council, my member of parliament, the police and the fire service in a bid to get something done but no one seems to be interested in helping us,” Kirby told the Edinburgh Live.
Carbonaro’s sculpture park, dubbed “The Bark Park”, features various installations including a woolly mammoth, a Spanish galleon, a spider, and a shrine created during the Covid pandemic.
Initially, Kirby found the art “different and not intrusive”, but his mother always considered it an eyesore.
“How the rubbish set up in the name of art is not considered an environmental or fire hazard is beyond me,” Kirby said.
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He added: “The rubbish is now being strewn across the pavement outside the house which must be contravening some bylaws.”
Carbonaro hit back at the allegations by asserting that his latest project at The Bark Park, which he referred to as a “tourist attraction,” was a form of protest against people enjoying his art without contributing financially.
He characterised it as an “artivist campaign” called Wows Don’t Grow on Trees, Garbage and Clutter Do, explaining that he used objects like shopping carts and strollers as symbolic representations.
These items, he noted, were meant to address the persistent violation of his privacy and the disregard for his copyright and intellectual property rights.
Kirby fears the accumulating debris could pose a safety risk to the community.
His petition, titled “The Hippy Artist must be stopped”, aims to gather support from neighbours and the local community.
The online appeal said: “His protest is now out-of-control and preventing house sales and devaluing properties within Strathbeg Drive, Dalgety Bay.”
He hopes the petition will compel Fife Regional Council and Police Scotland to take action against what he describes as “fly-tipping” disguised as art.
“It seems to me the authorities are running scared of Denis but we need to act now before someone gets injured by his actions,” he said.
Neighbours have rallied behind Kirby’s petition, expressing their frustration with the situation.
One resident, living three doors away from Carbonaro, commented: “It’s been going on far too long. He needs help and his garden needs cleared. I hope John can get his mum’s house sold soon.”
A homeowner hopes the petition will compel Fife Regional Council and Police Scotland to take action against what he describes as “fly-tipping” disguised as art
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Another neighbour, just two doors away, voiced concerns about privacy violations and potential property damage.
“First windy day [there] will be damage to surrounding properties and damage has already been done to a neighbour’s house with things falling onto roofs from tree house – this needs to stop,” they said.
A third resident simply described the scene as “a filthy mess” that requires immediate attention.