A businessman embroiled in a heated conflict with property developers has vowed to employ a security guard costing £54,000 annually to safeguard his small wall.
Roger White, hailing from Gloucester, is locked in a dispute with Lioncourt Homes. He asserts that the company plans to dismantle the ‘dwarf wall’ erected by his father over five decades ago to meet planning regulations.
The developer reportedly requires the removal of this two-brick-high structure to adhere to planning permission for constructing a new 70-home estate, ensuring emergency access during potential floods.
In response, Lioncourt Homes has erected a fence and gate at the location, claiming that they have already established the necessary emergency access without encroaching on any third-party property.
However, Mr. White contends that the developer has not met the planning stipulations, as he believes the land needed for access belongs to him.
To counter Lioncourt’s actions, he has obstructed their gate with a metal barrier and engaged a security firm, incurring an annual expenditure of £54,000.
He says his late father built the ‘dwarf’ wall, which is barely 20cm high, in 1974 because he knew that one day the land would be valuable. His plot of land is now said to be worth around £10,000.
Mr White said: ‘I know it feels a bit over the top but I’ve got to look after my own interests because Lioncourt Homes are really doing what they want.
Roger White, from Gloucester, is in dispute with Lioncourt Homes, who he claims need to demolish the ‘dwarf wall’ built by his father 52 years ago in order to comply with planning rules
Mr White has blocked the emergency access gate with a metal fence and hired a security guard (pictured) to watch over the wall
‘They don’t care about anybody else and who owns what so I’m making sure I’ve got 24-hour security here to look after my interests to make sure they don’t touch the dwarf wall.’
Mr White’s company, SSL Developments Ltd, owns a strip of land that is marked out by the wall abutting the Priory Meadows development in the Hempsted area of Gloucester.
The land is needed to create the emergency access from the new housing estate but Mr White says the developer did not approach him about buying it before building work began.
Most of the homes are now occupied but Mr White says that, without the emergency access, there is a health and safety risk for residents.
The businessman, who also owns White House IT Solutions and is chairman of crime reduction scheme Gloucester City Safe, said of Lioncourt: ‘They’re in breach of planning and this is a real scandal. It’s a major health and safety issue.
‘When they got planning permission in 2023, one of the conditions of them building the houses was that they needed to put an emergency exit in Honeythorn Close in case of flooding for the emergency services to use this entrance.
‘The problem is people have moved into these houses. The planning permission specifically says nobody should move in because of the risk of flooding until this emergency access is in place.’
He added that Lioncourt Homes is attempting to get retrospective discharge of the planning conditions.
Planning permission granted for the 70-home estate stated that developers needed an emergency access gate in case of flooding
Mr White has now blocked the gate and erected a sign honouring his late father, who built the 20cm-high wall
Most of the homes are now occupied but Mr White says that, without the emergency access, there is a health and safety risk for residents
Mr White said: ‘My dad, Ernie White, built this dwarf wall in 1974. When your parents die you get left things like a family heirloom or maybe, if you’re really lucky, a house.
‘In my case my dad left me this dwarf wall, so this is my inheritance. He knew what he was doing. He was a local estate agent.’
He said that since he first went public with his battle last year, more evidence had come to light.
‘I’ve got the original highways adoption agreement from 1974 which says the adoption of the verges is none, which basically means the dwarf wall is not part of the highway and therefore Lioncourt Homes have no right of access across it,’ he said.
A spokesperson for Lioncourt Homes, said: ‘Works required to implement our planning permission is in land wholly owned by Lioncourt Homes or is in adopted highway land, no third-party land is required. The emergency access has now been installed.’
