A golf club’s plans to repair a damaged historic flint wall don’t go far enough, residents say.
The owners of Benfield Valley Golf Course have applied to rebuild the collapsed flint wall at the top of Sylvester Way.
They say the wall, part of the Grade II listed site of Benfield Barn, currently used as a clubhouse, has been derelict for years because of ground instability caused by tree roots.
It wants to build a modern foundation and then reconstruct the wall above ground to match the original.
But residents have objected, saying the plans included with the application show a gap of about seven metres compared to the original wall.
A councillor, whose details have been redacted, has also objected, saying: “I met with a resident on-site, who demonstrated to me that these proposals to rebuild the felled flint wall fall short of restoring the wall in full.
“There is a gap of approximately seven metres, where the wall needs to be rebuilt to meet its original specifications. I have been shown maps and photographs which evidences this.”
Another objection from a resident whose details have also been redacted says: “Brighton and Hove City Council has been negligent in ensuring the curtilage listed wall be maintained and preserved since listing in 1973 and adoption of the lease in 1992.
“Heritage failed to properly record the boundaries of the conservation area and effectively chopped the wall’s protection in half.
“The estates department did not know the wall was their responsibility until 7 April 2022, 30 years after the council adopted the lease from Sainsbury’s.
“The council has not enforced the walls maintenance and it has succumbed on their watch.
“The planning department did not know of the walls existence until the leaseholders demolished part of it. They did not maintain records or enact their powers to prevent its falling into disrepair.”
The application, which says that the rebuilt wall will be 16m long, says: “The wall has been in a derelict state for some years due to poor ground stability, likely caused by roots of nearby trees and shrubs, as well as a lack of sufficient foundation as is typical for walls of this age.
“It is understood that an agreement was mutually agreed between the local planning authority and the applicant that the wall be constructed like-for-like, however the presence of a concrete foundation which was not part of the original wall has resulted in a requirement for planning permission and listed building consent.”
The failure to rebuild, as was required, the flint wall by the Tesco shed on Church Road suggests that there is scant hope for the one in this article.
The council have deliberately run this site and the wall into the ground, this includes removing a section of woodland so large that it required a felling license from The Forestry Commission. This license is subject to restocking procedures which requires the removed trees are replanted and they have not been. Now the council aim to grant planning permission to a developer and sell the land which was gifted by Sainsbury’s for the community. Corruption at its worst.
Judging by the public rights of way they have blocked up, their strange hostility to dog walkers, and just a general lack of engagement with the community they are operating within, there is pretty much zero hope for this wall.