Our view is ruined by a 400 meter long ‘brown monster’ – it looks like the Berlin Wall

Locals in one town are furious after a favorite spot with fantastic views was ‘wiped out’ by a new wall.

It is sometimes called the ‘Great Wall of Axbridge’, but the 400 meter long simple wooden fence in Somerset is not an eighth wonder of the world and has been compared to the Berlin Wall.

Locals call the fence the ‘Great Wall of Axbridge’Credit: The Sun

John Chard said the spot he used as a lookout across the bay is now goneCredit: The Sun

Chris Camp said the wall was an eyesore on the way into the cityCredit: The Sun

For locals, the quarter-mile fence has completely erased views of the rolling countryside and left many angry at the loss of their heritage.

The fence was built around the location where 53 new homes are to be built after receiving permission from the municipality in 2020. This is reported by the Somerset County Gazette.

Objectors claimed the development should never have been granted planning permission due to its proximity to The Mendip Hills – an area of outstanding natural beauty.

Chris Camp, 73, a self-employed entrepreneur whose home overlooks what he has dubbed the ‘Great Wall of Axbridge’, cannot believe what the developers have done.

He said: “I have lived here for over 40 years and this is simply wrong. What inspired the builders to think this brown monstrosity was a good idea?

“This road is the main route into the city and gives the wrong impression to locals and visitors alike. It used to be a beautiful entrance to the city, now it is an eyesore.

“From this side of the town we had beautiful views of the Somerset countryside, from Crooks Peak to Glastonbury Tor – now that has been wiped out by this fence.”

Camp told a council committee last March that the plan was “flawed from the start.”

Neighbors are furious after the neighboring houses were ‘built two meters too high’ and the windows look directly onto the garden

He said: “This development offers a unique opportunity to improve the situation for all residents and visitors to the city.

“Residents will be quick to concrete their front gardens to create the extra parking they need, which will impact on the drainage and aesthetics of the new estate.

“Are we saying that after this development, dangerous parking will be officially punished? We deserve and expect better.”

Pensioner John Chard, 83, has lived in the city all his life and is sad that the spot where he stopped to admire the view has disappeared.

He said: ‘There were fewer nicer places to sit and enjoy the beautiful Somerset countryside than on the benches overlooking the fields.

‘All we have now is a simple wooden fence which some call the Great Wall of Axbridge, but to me it looks like it was put up by those who built the Berlin Wall. It’s like the next thing they’re going to do is build a lookout tower

“It’s a monstrosity and needs to come down. It’s not pretty and it looks like an act of vandalism.”

Harry Mottram, who has lived in the town for more than 30 years, said developers Bellway Homes had destroyed a once peaceful spot in the town.

He said: “We are on the edge of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and they are doing something like this.

“The views across the Channel from Bristol to Wales are spectacular on a good day and even when the weather turns bad you can still see the Crooks Peak landmark.

“There was an excellent hedge where the wooden wall now stands, which was home to hundreds of nesting birds, which has now disappeared.”

Bellway Homes wants to build 53 five-bedroom homes on the site in a project to be known as ‘Lavender Rise’.

A spokesperson for Bellway Homes said the company complied with all regulations set out in the planning proposal.

Bellway Homes purchased the site from the original developer and submitted amended proposals in 2022, which were unanimously approved by council in 2023.

How can you file a complaint if this happens to you?

In this situation, Bellway owns the site and has permission to redevelop it.

That’s why they’re allowed to build a fence around the land, as long as it fits into the building permits – which a company spokesperson said they believe is the case.

Now that the fence is built, opponents can sue Bellway in court, but they may ultimately lose.

Moreover, the view will disappear anyway, because houses are being built on the site.

Anyone building a fence in Somerset will need planning permission if the fence is more than two meters above the ground, or one meter if you live next to a highway or footpath.