Man hires security to guard planning dispute wall
BBCA landowner has hired 24-hour security to guard a wall at the centre of a planning row, fearing a developer will bulldoze it.
Roger White says his father built the wall, which is just two bricks high, in Hempsted, Gloucester on land he owns and he is paying £4,500 per month to prevent its demolition.
But developer Lioncourt Homes says the wall lies within land needed for an approved housing scheme, including emergency access.
A spokesperson for the developer told the BBC: "Lioncourt Homes is carrying out the works in accordance with the approved planning conditions agreed with the relevant authorities."
The wall crosses what Lioncourt's successful planning application deemed should be emergency access to the new estate, in case of flooding, and the developer said this was on land it "wholly owned".
White says he has the land registry title, and a memo from 1974, the year the wall was built, saying it was not adopted as part of the highway, and is therefore his land.
"I've taken steps to protect my dwarf wall by having security company, Glevum Security keeping around the clock watch on the wall to make sure they don't just demolish it," he said.
Security has been in place for two months, and White says a guard could remain in place there for several more.
"If somebody showed me a piece of paper that said I was in the wrong, then I would accept that. I wouldn't waste my time on this, but all the documentation I've got says that I own the wall and it's not part of the highway," he said.
White said he would consider selling to Lioncourt Homes, adding: "I think they're just hoping that I go away and obviously I'm determined because I believe in what I'm doing."
White added: "Lioncourt homes are just ignoring everything, any correspondence.
"I've actually written to the chief exec personally to try and enter into some dialogue.
"All the documentation I've got says that I own the wall and it's not part of the highway."
A spokesperson at Lioncourt Homes told BBC West: "The works required to implement our planning permission are on land wholly owned by Lioncourt Homes or on adopted highway land. No third-party land is required."
They added: "Lioncourt Homes is carrying out the works in accordance with the approved planning conditions agreed with the relevant authorities.
"This includes works at emergency access points, which form part of the approved access arrangements for the development."
The developer said the estate was the site of a former air fuel depot and was redundant for many years before being acquired by Lioncourt Homes in 2020.
The ongoing dispute has impacted people buying homes on the new estate.
Glen Griffin moved into the adjacent road in April, and had extra discussions with his solicitor when the story first circulated in 2025.
"I asked the questions, I had numerous discussions with various people. It was all a bit unfortunate," he said.
"I did speak to the planners to also put my mind at ease a little bit."
He added: "I don't think anyone intended to cause problems or make issues. And I mean that from Roger's side and from Lioncourt's side."
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