7 hours ago
English town's war over ‘Berlin Wall 2' takes ANOTHER twist after 6ft concrete barrier ‘cut off' locals
AN ENGLISH town's war over "Berlin Wall 2" has taken another twist after the 6ft concrete barrier has now been "cut off" to locals.
The towering wall built between the Kendalls Lane estates in Okehampton, Devon, had left residents stunned by its imposing presence.
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The 6ft wall had cut off a walking route used by locals to get their children to the primary school.
One resident revealed that the wall prevented her husband from getting through, as he uses a mobility scooter.
However, tensions between locals and the council have reached new heights after a mystery resident rented a JCB digger and smashed a hole in the wall.
This came as welcome news to residents, with the gap wide enough for pushchairs and mobility scooters to pass through.
However, earlier this month, there were reports that the owners had allegedly dismantled the wall and scattered the bricks across the path to block access.
A tall fence was also installed around the dismantled wall to block access once again.
Councillor George Dexter, of West Devon Borough Council, North Ward, told DevonLive: "This was done (on June 11) without warning after the children from the estate had gone to school, so they have to make a long detour to go home.
"I was told that St James' school had to inform the parents to allow them to leave early."
The councillor previously explained that the issue with the narrow strip of land is that it sits on a ransom strip connected to nearby privately owned land.
This means using the road as a path is technically trespassing.
Cllr Caroline Mott, West Devon's Borough Council's Lead Member for Planning & Built Environment, revealed that the "work carried out, happened on the day of the Temporary Stop Notice, which prevents such work, expired".
And that they were "now considering the implications for further Planning Enforcement action".
Residents had compared the structure to the infamous Berlin Wall, which fell with the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The structure was even covered in graffiti reading " Berlin Wall Mk 2", prompting the council to issue an Enforcement Notice last month, warning the owner to remove it or face action.
"I thought Trump was only building walls in America!" one local wrote online.
Other residents said it changed the feel of the area, with some joking that "watchtowers" would be added next.
West Devon Borough issued an Enforcement Notice ordering the removal of the unauthorised structure between the two housing estates.
The landowner appealed, but the council told the Planning Inspectorate that the 6ft wall should be demolished.
And a furious mum-of-two says she is being 'treated like a criminal' after 'stuck up' neighbours complained about a double-decker bus parked on her drive.
