A south London homeowner is facing a council investigation after installing a 3.1-metre section of the Berlin Wall in his back garden without planning permission.
Steven Thorpe, 65, placed the 2.8-tonne concrete slab in his Herne Hill garden earlier this year, describing it as a piece of artwork.
Thorpe said he had no idea he needed planning consent and now hopes that Southwark Council will approve the installation retrospectively.
Southwark investigates after Berlin Wall section appears in residential garden (Image: Courtesy Steven Thorpe / SWNS)
He said: “Most of my neighbours seem to be very supportive of it. Just as we were finished installing it, we worked all day, at about 9 o’clock at night, it was pouring down with rain, we’d just got in position and [a neighbour] came down and said ‘what’s that?’
“I said ‘it’s a piece of the Berlin Wall’ and he said ‘did you ask permission?’ I said ‘I didn’t think I needed to, it’s a piece of artwork.’ I honestly didn’t realise I needed planning permission.”
But not everyone is happy about the imposing installation.
Homeowner faces council probe after installing Berlin Wall segment (Image: Courtesy Steven Thorpe / SWNS)
A complaint from a neighbour has prompted a formal investigation by Southwark Council, which will now assess whether the Berlin Wall segment can remain.
A Southwark Council spokesperson said: “We have received a planning complaint about a section of wall installed in Dulwich.
“We will investigate the complaint and take any appropriate action in line with the national planning process.”
Mr Thorpe, a property developer, acquired the slab from an east German farmer after the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
Stephen Thorpe with his piece of the Berlin Wall in his garden at his home in Herne Hill London (Image: Courtesy Steven Thorpe / SWNS)
He said his friend alerted him that sections of the historic barrier were being sold.
After completing import and export paperwork, Mr Thorpe arranged for the slab to be transported to the UK by lorry and ferry.
He then built a ramp and removed railings to move the concrete from the street and into his garden, where it was installed with the help of scaffolding.
While he claims most neighbours support the unusual structure, others aren’t so impressed.
Berlin Wall section in south London garden sparks planning investigation (Image: Courtesy Steven Thorpe / SWNS)
Felix Lord, 19, who is temporarily living with his grandmother on nearby Winterbrook Road, said: “It looks ugly, it looks like a slab of concrete.
“He said it was an art installation, and then when people complained he was asked about it and said it was for the local children or something.
“It’s not, I don’t know what that’s about.
“It just ruins the character and the view of the gardens really.”
Former Berlin Wall piece becomes centre of neighbourhood planning dispute (Image: Courtesy Steven Thorpe / SWNS)
Felix said the structure is “just bizarre,” adding: “I don’t know what to think about it.
“There’s pictures of the front, and it’s just sprayed with graffiti and stuff – it’s quite ugly, though I appreciate that it’s original.”
Olly, 18, who lives next door to Felix, agreed with the criticism.
He said: “It’s just a slab.
“We all agree in the house that it totally ruins the garden, because for us, when we look out into our garden it’s right behind it.”
Despite his irritation, Olly did see value in the structure’s historical significance.
He said: “From a historical point of view, I think it’s bloody sick – I really like it.
“It’s the height that’s the problem.
“Also, I think there were questions about the safety behind it.”
In a bid to ease tensions, Mr Thorpe said he has planted espalier trees along the back of the wall to eventually block it from view.
He said: “Once they all start growing properly, then I’m sure it’ll be fine and you won’t be able to see it.
“I don’t want to cause an argument.”
Mr Thorpe also hopes to add a historically accurate feature to the structure once planning matters are resolved.
He said: “There used to be a round cement capping on the wall to stop people climbing over it, it was made of asbestos.
“Obviously they’ve all been taken away.
“The one my friend has got, James Hervey-Bathurst has got, has a piece of clay drainage pipe slot in it and put on the top, to make a replica.
“I plan on doing the same thing – I just haven’t managed to get hold of a great big round piece of drainage pipe yet.
“Because we’re having an issue with the planners, I don’t want to do anything more.”
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Mr Thorpe declined to reveal how much he paid for the slice of Cold War history.
He said: “Nah, I’m not telling you.
“No, you can make up your own mind what you think it’s worth.”
He has printed a pamphlet explaining the history of the Berlin Wall segment for curious visitors and says children in the neighbourhood come to see it.
The Berlin Wall was a 155-kilometer (96-mile) barrier built by East Germany in August 1961 to prevent its citizens from fleeing to the West.
It stood until November 1989 when a new travel law was mistakenly announced, which saw crowds rush to the border.
The wall was opened under the onslaught of so many people and, ultimately, torn down.