We're being charged £1MILLION to fix 70ft wall that collapsed on our homes… even though it's NOT our fault

The Sun

30-05-2025

RESIDENTS on a quiet street are facing a shocking £1million repair bill – after a 70ft wall collapsed into their gardens through no fault of their own.
The huge retaining wall on Windmill Lane in Nottingham, crumbled without warning in February 2021, sending clouds of dust and tonnes of rubble crashing down behind six terraced homes.
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Now, more than four years on, the damage remains – and homeowners say they're being forced to pay the price for a council-built structure that experts claim was 'not fit for purpose.'
'The wall was originally constructed in 2003, commissioned by Nottingham City Council to replace a crumbling Victorian structure,' Nottinghamshire Live reported.
Each household paid around £9,000 for the works at the time, and residents were relieved to see what they believed was a long-term solution.
But on the night of February 3, 2021, that sense of security collapsed – literally.
Finance manager Luke Drayton, 30, was at home when disaster struck. 'We both looked out the window and could see a cloud of dust.
You could see torches from other people who were all really scared just trying to see what had happened,' he recalled.
The street was evacuated, and residents weren't allowed back in until 8am the next morning.
Fortunately, no one was injured – but it could have been much worse.
'To this day, if you go to the edge of the garden, that is an unwise and unsafe thing to do,' Mr Drayton told NottinghamshireLive.
'It very easily could have cost someone their life. The council is very fortunate that was not the case.'
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Since the collapse, gardens behind numbers 147 to 157 have remained unusable and dangerous.
Residents have been quoted between £600,000 and £1million to fix the wall, in a neighbourhood where house prices range between £140,000 and £220,000.
'We all lost half of our gardens,' said Mr Drayton.
'The £1million cost is a no-go for everybody. There's been lots of tears and emotional distress.'
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He described how one neighbour put her home up for auction for just £25,000, adding: 'She was so done with it, she was ready to take the loss and move on with her life.'
Another woman, who has since sold her home at a heavy loss, said she had paid nearly £10,000 for the wall's construction in 2003.
She later had to undergo talking therapy to cope with the stress.
'After four years of us all trying to resolve the problem, I decided to sell my property at auction – a financial risk, but one I was prepared to accept,' she said.
'The impact on us all has been quite profound.'
According to documents, the wall was designed, built and supervised under Section 78 of the Building Act 1984, with Nottingham City Council in charge of the project.
It was carried out by a company called Central High Rise Ltd.
Residents had no say in the contractor or the project's management, yet they were left footing the bill both then – and now.
Mr Drayton said: 'This was a council-controlled, council-commissioned project.'
But legal time limits have now expired.
According to an email from Sedgwick International UK to Mr Drayton, dated August 23, 2023: 'Your claim would, in any event, seem to be Statute barred, due to the expiry of the Limitation period.'
Nottingham City Council confirmed to residents it would take no further action, stating in April this year that the matter is considered private and falls to the homeowners.
'The Council no longer intervenes in boundary wall, fence, or other structural issues that are private matters between land/ property owners,' it said.
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Residents hired two independent engineering firms to assess the site.
Reports from May 2021 and October 2022 concluded the replacement wall was poorly built and unsafe from the start.
One report stated: 'The replacement retaining wall was not fit for purpose and was a hazardous and dangerous structure from the day it was completed.'
It also said the wall had not been suitably designed by a qualified structural engineer, and blamed both design and construction faults for its failure.
Just 48 hours before the collapse, one homeowner reported a visible crack in the soil to the council after a gardener raised the alarm.
But they say they were told it was a private matter and not the council's concern.
After the collapse, they were told they should have reported it. 'But we did,' said one resident.
'I feel like we were failed from the beginning.'
According to residents, most insurance companies have refused to cover the repair costs, although around £60,000 was contributed to help clear debris.
Residents have also turned to Nadia Whittome, MP for Nottingham East, who has raised the matter with the council 'on a number of occasions.'
But no breakthrough has been made.
'I have tried, along with my neighbours, so hard for all this time to resolve the problem,' one woman said.
'It's been an emotional rollercoaster. It's not just bricks and rubble – it's our peace of mind.'
The Sun has approached Nottingham City Council for comment.
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