THE owner of a wobbly wall in danger of falling into the road in Wantage has said he is now waiting for the council to give him a quote for knocking it down.

A 40ft stretch of footpath on Wallingford Street, between Garston Lane and Seesen Way, has been shut for public safety for eight months.

Vale of White Horse District Council officers discovered the wall was leaning dangerously into the road after foliage was cleared from it in January.

Scaffolding was put up to support the wall, and Oxfordshire County Council closed the footpath for safety while the councils worked out whose responsibility it was.

The Vale said the wall still belongs to Haynes Holdings, which built Haywards Close estate behind the wall in the 1970s.

The council says it took possession of the bank of earth behind the wall in 2004, but never adopted the wall itself.

Haynes director Michael Macario, who lives in Hampshire, is waiting for a quote for the wall’s demolition.

He accepts the Land Registry shows he owns the wall, but says the council has been unable to show him the transfer documents.

“They’re claiming I own it but haven’t produced any proof, which I have requested more than once,” he said.

“What I can’t understand is why this land transfer gave them all the open spaces within the estate but not the wall.

“Why would I enter into the contract which left me with the wall?”

The Vale refused to comment.

  • Do you want alerts delivered straight to your phone via our WhatsApp service? Text NEWS or SPORT or NEWS AND SPORT, depending on which services you want, and your full name to 07767 417704. Save our number into your phone's contacts as Oxford Mail WhatsApp and ensure you have WhatsApp installed.


Our top stories