Royal Borough begins demolition of "formidable" wall in Pinkneys Green

The Royal Borough is today (Monday) beginning work to demolish a large section of a wall built without planning permission as part of a new development on Green Belt land in Pinkneys Green.

The wall was constructed by Hodson Developments Ltd in Aspen Place, Malders Lane, Pinkneys Green, alongside a public right of way as part of a development of seven houses built in 2008.

The 2.3 - 2.65 metre high wall did not comply with planning permission and despite repeated requests from the council the developer has failed to remove it.

Two sections of the wall 15metres and 10 metres long on the front boundary of the development will be demolished completely and the area restored to open landscaping as approved in the original plans.

A further 30-metre section of wall will be reduced in height by one metre to comply with planning permission which required the wall to be topped by railings to create a more environmentally-friendly appearance.

In January 2009 the Royal Borough served an enforcement notice on the developer who immediately appealed against the enforcement. The council's decision was upheld by the Secretary of State on appeal - and the wall described by the inspector as "a very formidable and harsh structure".

The developer was given until 2 December 2009 to remove the wall - but to date it has not been removed.

Cllr Alison Knight, lead member for planning and development, said: "The council will not tolerate developers who do not respect what has been approved in the planning permission.

"It really should not be necessary for us to take such a firm line but we must protect our residents and our environment from unauthorised developments.

"We made repeated requests to the developer to remove the wall, but this has not happened. We have now advised the developer and the residents that we will arrange to have the wall removed starting to day (Monday).

"Once the work is complete we will be seeking to recover our costs from the landowners Hodson Developments Ltd so that council taxpayers are not out of pocket."

How do you rate this information/service?