Petition to save stone wall Cotswold villagers rebuilt

The Sycamore Grove boundary wall which was built by residents in Chalford Hill near Stroud.

Villagers are petitioning to stop a drystone wall they rebuilt from being torn down and the stones given back.

Residents in Sycamore Grove in Chalford Hill near Stroud used stones owned by Chalford Parish Council to restore a wall bordering their estate.

The parish council want the stones back and GreenSquareAccord, a social housing firm, claim the wall was built without their permission and must be torn down.

The Save our Wall petition has so far 60 signatures out of a target of 100.

The petition, set up by Paul Owen, objects to the "proposed demolition" of the wall, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

It also requests GreenSquareAccord "reinstate a low dry stone wall boundary in keeping with the rest of Middle Hill".

Josie Felce, one of the villagers who rebuilt the wall, said residents want a boundary wall for the rest of the site

"The petition will be sent to GreenSquareAccord to show that there is local support for reinstating a low wall as on the original planning application," she said.

"We will also send it to Stroud District Council to show them about local interest. The GSA office needs to know local people do require a boundary wall."

Chalford Hill residents (from left) Josie Felce, Steve Swan and David Huband sitting on the restored boundary wall

In a statement, Chalford Parish Council said planning permission had been granted for a hedge along the Sycamore Grove development boundary.

"A group of local residents recently decided to build a wall instead, using stone belonging to Chalford Parish Council, which they took without the parish council's knowledge or prior agreement," a spokesperson said.

"We understand the wall was also constructed without the necessary planning permission from Stroud District Council or agreement from the landowner".

They added they "simply request" that the stones be returned.

A GreenSquareAccord spokesperson said the wall had been built without permission or planning authority.

"While we actively seek feedback from and try to accommodate reasonable requests, we cannot permit unlawful activity," they said.

"We have requested that the wall is taken down and the hedge is replanted and we will take the necessary action required to ensure this is done."