Latest news with #LauraDrew
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE A gate too far! Couple who lost bitter war against neighbours over Bond-villain mansion finally remove illegal barrier after failing in their attempt to create a new access route
A couple who defied a council enforcement order to remove a £10,000 set of gates stopping locals accessing a beauty spot they've enjoyed for generations have had to tear them down in a humiliating defeat. Instead of immediately complying with their enforcement notice, Adam and Laura Drew spent a fortune building two new paths a few metres further away from their £500,000 home nicknamed the James Bond House. The Drews hoped the new entrances to the forestry paradise would allow them to keep the 8ft-high gates and retain their privacy. But council chiefs warned the couple to take them down this weekend - or else. Today to the delight of locals the 'gates of hell' were finally removed. Walkers, cyclists and horse riders said they had used the path next to the sprawling 11-bedroomed property for as long as anyone can remember. It leads to Cwmparc Forestry, a haven for wildlife and a place of natural beauty where some locals had their ashes scattered. But a year ago the Drews bought the ugly grey house and began complaining of anti-social behaviour by people accessing the mountain. Chartered accountant Mr Drew and his slimming consultant wife Laura, both 40, claimed they were subjected to illegal parking, dangerous driving, out-of-control dogs, people urinating, dog-fouling, aggression, theft, drugs, and people with air rifles. They said the last straw came when torches were shone into bedrooms where their three children were sleeping. In a statement the wealthy couple said: 'A decision was made that we needed to put security gates at our home to keep our children safe.' Residents of Cwmparc, near the historic Welsh Valleys coal mining town of Treorchy, disputed the couple's claims and launched the 'No to the Gates' campaign, staging peaceful protests and getting up a 4,000 signature petition. After an investigation, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council gave the Drews 30 days to take the gates down saying highway rights exist because the path has been in public use for over 20 years. Locals looked forward to seeing them dismantled and taken away but last Sunday(June 8) the deadline passed and the gates were still standing. It appears the Drews believed they had solved the problem by building a road on their land for fire service and other official bodies to access the mountain and a narrower path for walkers, cyclists and horse riders. Tons of chippings were laid, steel fences erected and 50-year-old conifers felled to make way for the two unofficial thoroughfares. But campaigners want the original right of way opened up because the new road and path are not legal highways. Richard Clarke, 57, a local businessman, said: 'We've kept this campaign as clean as we possibly can, in fact we've protected these people (Mr and Mrs Drew) by stopping some of the remarks about them posted on social media. 'I sincerely hope they do the right thing and return to us what we started off with - a legal right of way to Cwmparc forestry.' The council agreed and gave the Drews until midnight on Sunday to pull down the gates or they would send in their own contractors. Council leader Andrew Morgan said: 'Following the expiry of the notice served on the homeowners, Council officers are not satisfied with the current access arrangements which do not provide the public with unfettered access. 'The current unapproved arrangements do not fulfil the legal order for the gates to be removed. 'As a result, the Council requires the homeowners to remove the gates with their specialist contractors and we expect this to be done over the weekend. 'If the gates are not removed then the Council will dispatch contractors to remove them.' Mr Morgan said diversions and changes to the highway must follow the correct legal process and rest with local magistrates. He added: 'This remains a delicate situation and we ask that the community act responsibly. The Council is committed to seeing this through.' This week, the quiet road has been thronging with furious villagers arriving to inspect the damage caused by the installation of the new road and pathway Nature lover Rhiannon Evans, 49, who used to walk the mountain tracks with her three-legged dog Belle said: 'They've chopped down at least six large conifers where magpies were nesting. There are bats roosting up there too. 'They have no planning permission for what they've done and have shown utter contempt for the law and the villagers who have enjoyed the forestry for years.' Retired probation office manager Irene Price, 77, told Mail Online: 'I'm outraged by what's been going on since these people moved here. 'If you buy a house next to forestry you can expect people to walk past. The walk up the mountain was one of my favourite things in the village. What they've done is a disgrace.'
The Sun
5 days ago
- General
- The Sun
We're at war over neighbour's HUGE 6ft gate blocking shared path – they were told to rip it down… but accuse US of abuse
A VILLAGE row is threatening to boil over after a wealthy family ignored council orders to tear down a huge 6ft gate. Locals have been battling to remove the "gates of hell", which block a popular mountain path in Cwmparc, Rhondda Valley, South Wales. 7 7 7 Homeowners of Vicarage Terrace installed the eyesore in February this year, later hiring 24/7 security guards and using CCTV to monitor the imposing blockade. In a statement, they claimed that the work had been done to put a stop to "illegal parking, out-of-control dogs, people urinating, aggression, theft, drugs, and air rifles" on the land. They added: "A decision was made that we needed to put security gates at our home to keep our children safe." But locals were left fuming at the barriers, which were constructed on private land, but shut off a path that has been used for decades. They prevented access to a highway leading to a beauty spot on Cwmparc Mountain. announced it would serve the wealthy family a legal notice. And on May 8, council chiefs officially gave the owners, named locally as Laura and Adam Drew, one month to remove the metal obstruction. Now, over a month later, the massive gates remain in place, but a new gravel path has been created to run alongside them. Locals who have been involved in the 'GateGate' campaign say it is unclear whether they are able to use the " temporary path". Last Friday, council leader Andrew Morgan confirmed the local authority was aware of the interim footpath. He said: "This work wasn't agreed in advance and will be considered once the notice expires. Our kids' play area was blocked by huge 6ft privacy fence "Any access proposals can only be considered after the notice ends and must meet these key conditions: "The public must always be able to access the highway. "The route must remain safe and usable for people walking, cycling, or riding horses. "There must be a clear plan with a timeline to make the highway rights permanent and follow planning rules." But now the enforcement notice has expired, Richard Clarke, one of the campaign leaders, explained locals are awaiting "definitive action". Richard added: "We are now in a position where we await the council to ensure that we have continued access to the obstructed highway. "The gates remain both a physical obstruction and detriment to the visual impact of the area. 7 7 7 "It is my view that the council needs to act swiftly to ensure that it is not seen as doing a U-turn on its previous enforcement decision. "The Gate-gate campaign has consistently argued that a makeshift path constructed in haste is unsuitable as a long-term solution. "We sincerely hope the leader of the council remains true to his word and will provide us with continued access to the highway leading to the forestry. "Our campaign slogan was 'No to the gates!'. Having the gates continue to visually oppress us while we utilise a temporary path just reminds us of how the use of this road was taken from us. "We hope the council considers the feelings of the community and makes the right choice from not only a legal perspective but also a moral one for the benefit of the community as a whole." The owners preside over a small patch of land that visitors need to cross to reach the mountain, 1,600ft above sea level. They put up a sign saying 'no unauthorised access' and made it look like an official forestry sign. More than 70 people turned up for a peaceful protest in the rain, waving banners proclaiming: "No to the gate. Our mountains are there for all to enjoy." A social media campaign is also under way and a petition has been signed by more than 3,000 locals. One villager fumed: 'A walk up the mountain was like stepping into heaven, but now we can't get there because of the gates of hell. "It's a horrible way to treat people." David Powell, 53, who lives just 200 yards away, said: 'There's a fella threatening to use his pick-up truck to attach some chains to the gates and pull them down. 'I hope it doesn't come to that, but feelings are running high and people feel their right to walk up the mountain has been stopped. 'I've used that path all my life, I go up there to look at the Peregrine falcons, buzzards and red kites. 'It's a mountain paradise that the locals have used as far back as anyone can remember.'
