The owner of a demolished garden wall in March West End must rebuild it to its previous standard that’s the ruling of a planning inspector

Mr G A G Campbell appealed against a conservation area enforcement notice issued by Fenland District Council in July 2014 after the boundary wall at 62a West End was demolished without the necessary planning consent.

Mr Campbell argued the wall, which was built in 1996, had no architectural or historic interest.

However, planning inspector Stephen Brown said in his report: “I accept that the wall may be recently built. However, it appears probable that there would always have been a boundary structure here, as there is for almost all garden areas on this side of West End, and that the recently demolished wall would have been a replacement. As such, the presence of a wall is of significant historic interest.”

Mr Brown did accept Mr Campbell’s argument that the enforcement notice was requiring him to build a longer wall than was there previously and ruled it should be rebuilt to its original length.

The same went for the finial, which must be no higher than previously existed. And if the original foundations are adequate to ensure the ‘safe and stable’ construction of the wall then they can be used. If not then new foundations must be designed.