Lower Slaughter: Views of sleepy Cotswolds village

Local residents have been left furious after their council replaced a historic stone wall with a wooden fence to save money.

Those living in the beautiful village Selsey, in the Cotswolds, say Gloucestershire County Council removed a 500ft wall that just needed repairs without consultation.

The wall was replaced with a fence on top of a small wall. It cost £200,000 and work took 12 weeks.

But the council has said that repairing the historic stone wall would have doubled the cost – so opted for that to save money.

Dry stone walling is a traditional craft dating back to 3500BC, developed by Celts as they began settled farming. The walls are a common site in the Cotswolds.

READ MORE Stampede of llamas brings quiet UK village to a halt after escape[LATEST]

Local councillor Steve Hynd said: “I worry that replacing a traditional dry stone wall with a wooden fence is just a false economy.

“Cotswold stone walls, when erected by skilled local craftspeople, can last for decades with occasional straightforward maintenance.

“This wooden fence will need replacing in a few years’ time.

“The community should have been given an option to fundraise the additional money to get the same wall replaced. 

“We weren’t even given those options as a possibility, people probably would have rallied together and actually done something.”

Cllr Hynd and resident Marisa Godfrey have written to the lcaol county council to express the villagers’ concerns.

Cllr Hynd added that the local community have been left reeling over the lack of communication surrounding the incident.

DON’T MISS
Hungry snails caught nibbling on post as residents warned[LATEST]
Pretty seaside town being ruined by eyesore that ‘looks like the Titanic'[INSIGHT]
‘I bought the village pub next door to save it being turned into housing'[REPORT]

• Advert-free experience without interruptions.
• Rocket-fast speedy loading pages.
• Exclusive & Unlimited access to all our content.

“We weren’t told the wall would not be restored to its former standing.

“I think something that has such tangible aesthetic change to a historic Cotswold village kind of should be consulted on by the community.”

Ms Godfrey says the villagers believe the council tore down part of their culture.

She said: “A lot of people in the village are angry and disappointed about this. It feels to them like there is one rule for the county council and another for residents.

“As a local farmer said to us, he would never get away with removing an historic dry stone wall on his land.

“Dry stone walls are an intrinsic feature of the Cotswold landscape – an ancient craft that has been passed down through generations – and rural residents are rightly proud of the artisanship and heritage that goes into creating them.

“These beautiful walls define our villages and farms. They take skill to build but we have those skills right here in the Cotswolds and the job should have been done by a skilled local craftsperson.

“Instead of which, we have this nasty bodge job.”

A Gloucestershire County Council spokesperson claimed that the wall required urgent repairs costing more than £200,000 – which have now been completed.

They said: “The lower part of the wall retained the road, footway and utility services from collapsing into the fields – so needed replacement.

“To build the wall to its former height alongside the footway would have doubled the project cost and duration.

“The livestock-proof wooden post and rail fence is used extensively in rural settings and was designed to be as considerate as possible to the local area while ensuring we use public funds responsibly.

“We accept that our communication could have been clearer on the details of the plan for this project and we would like to apologise for this and any inconvenience caused during the works.”

Source: Read Full Article