A quiet dispute over a seemingly insignificant two-foot wall has escalated into a full-blown standoff, with a man hiring a security guard to protect what he insists is his rightful property. Roger White is locked in a battle with a developer, determined to safeguard a legacy left by his late father.
The conflict centers around a dwarf wall adjacent to a newly built housing development. White claims the wall, constructed by his father in 1974, is his, backed by Land Registry proof and documents dating back to 1971. The developer, however, presents documents from 1964, asserting their ownership.
White’s father, a local estate agent, shrewdly acquired small parcels of land – “ransom strips” – as investments. This particular wall stands on one of those strips, a tangible connection to a man now gone. The emotional weight of this inheritance fuels White’s unwavering resolve.
He’s currently preparing to make long-overdue repairs to the wall, repairs it hasn’t seen in over five decades. To protect his interests during the construction, and fearing the developer might simply demolish it, White is paying £150 a day for security.
The developer maintains that all necessary work, including creating emergency vehicle access, is being done entirely on land they own or within adopted highway boundaries. They insist no third-party land is required for their project.
Local authorities have weighed in, stating that legal boundaries have no physical width and that the highway’s status takes precedence over land ownership. This ruling seemingly supports the developer’s ability to proceed with their plans.
Despite the council’s position, White remains steadfast. He questions how seventy houses could be built without resolving this ownership issue beforehand. He feels ignored and dismissed, desperately trying to protect a unique inheritance – a father’s legacy embodied in a simple, yet significant, wall.
For White, it’s not about the monetary value of the wall, but the sentimental value. He poignantly reflects that while some inherit houses, he inherited this wall, a most unusual, but deeply cherished, gift from his father.
