Petition to restore town wall that collapsed 11 years ago

People in Ludlow have been calling for the wall to be repaired for years

A petition has been started to restore an 800-year-old wall in Ludlow that collapsed 11 years ago.

A 33ft (10m) section of the wall behind St Lawrence's Church in Upper Linney was fenced off after it fell in February 2013.

Ludlow Town Council said it was seeking further advice on an ongoing legal dispute over liability for the works.

But Sheena Wieckowicz, who started the petition, said residents were "furious and sick" about delays to repairs.

A statement from the town council said: "It is estimated that the cost of the repair works will exceed £3m.

"We are aware of the concerns of the people of Ludlow, but until our legal team is in a position to advise us further, we cannot issue anything further."

More than 160 people have signed Ms Wieckowicz's petition.

"If you don't make a fuss, nothing gets done," she said. "It's a peaceful garden of rest that just looks like a building site."

Ludlow Town Walls Trust was set up in 2007 to help attract funding for the scheduled ancient monument

The town council said its legal dispute with Shropshire Council and the Parochial Church Council over liability started in 2015.

It added it had looked to the wall's owners, St Laurence Parochial Parish Church, and the unitary authority to "do whatever they can" to support the project during ongoing meetings.

An application to the secretary of state to borrow £38,550 for preliminary works was approved in 2019, but delayed by the pandemic, the council said.

The town council's legal advisors were given a detailed report and recommendations for repairs in 2022.

Almost £1m was spent on emergency repairs to the Ludlow Town Walls a decade ago

Ms Wieckowicz said the likely cost of the repairs had risen "significantly" in the past 11 years and warned taxes might have to rise as a result.

She said: "Someone's going to have to pay for it."

Shropshire Council said it was a matter for Ludlow Town Council.

Ludlow councillor Andy Boddington said: "There needs to be some action.

"The town council need to get on with it and get it repaired.

"How many more years are we going to wait? This is just going on forever."

Hereford Diocese said: "We remain engaged and committed to working with the local town council over any plans they wish to present for approval to rebuild the collapsed section of the town wall which they own, and which is located behind the closed churchyard of St Laurence's Church."

A town council planning committee is meeting on 6 February to discuss the latest situation.

Historic England said it shared residents' concerns about the decline of the ancient walls - a scheduled monument on its Heritage at Risk register.

"Ownership is complex and costs can be challenging, however, we hope to make progress on one of the smaller areas of failure over coming months by working with owners and occupiers," a spokesperson said.

"We are also keen to continue work with the town council and other stakeholders to address the most significant area of the wall's failure, adjacent to the churchyard of St Laurence's."