A homeowner's frustration
A homeowner in Caerphilly, south Wales, was forced to demolish half of his £5,000 garden wall after the council deemed it to be 20cm too high. Mark Roberts, 62, built the 6ft stone wall in 2020 for privacy, but now he's left with a "terrible" looking wall.
An unfair comparison
Interestingly, one of Mark's neighbors had a similar high wall without facing any trouble from the council. Mark was shocked when he received an order from the council in 2021 to tear down his wall after someone complained about its height.
The confusion over planning permission
Mark, a former miner, claimed that he was not aware of the planning permission requirement for walls or fences higher than a meter. He immediately appealed the order, believing he had the right to do what he wanted with his own property.
A compromise that didn't last
The council later told Mark that he could keep the wall if he cut it down to a height of one meter. Mark complied and reduced the wall's height to 1.2m, which was more than half a meter lower. However, council inspectors then visited Mark's property without his knowledge and demanded a further reduction of 20cm or face prosecution.
Unfair treatment
Mark feels targeted and unfairly treated by the council. He points out that there are many walls and fences in the area higher than a meter, but he is the only one facing consequences. Mark expressed his frustration at not being allowed to put a fence on the wall while growing a tall hedge is permitted.
Mark spent a total of £5,000 building the wall and even more money cutting it down to appease the council. He laments the loss of privacy and the unsightly appearance of his once beautiful garden wall.
We reached out to Caerphilly Council for comment but did not receive a response.
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