A property developer snapping up part of the Berlin Wall has triggered a new Cold War after a neighbour’s complaint – this time not in Germany’s but in England’s capital.
Steve Thorpe, 65, bought a piece of the historic structure and brought it more than 650 miles back to his home in Dulwich, south-east London.
He installed the 3.1m slab at the back of his garden but a neighbour has since complained to Southwark Council about the piece of concrete that used to separate East and West Germany – saying it lacks planning permission.
And the local authority has now launched an investigation into whether the wall, which can be seen from the front door, can stay.
Mr Thorpe tracked the towering wall chunk down after learning a grain farmer had been using hundreds of sections of it to line his sheds.
Along with a friend, Mr Thorpe flew out to Germany to go Berlin Wall shopping and decided to buy a piece of history.
He said: ‘The original piece I wanted, they wouldn’t sell me as it is going to go to an exhibition at Brandenburg Gate.’
Mr Thorpe instead found another piece of graffiti-daubed wall catching his eye and settled on that.
Property developer Steve Thorpe, 65, bought a piece of the Berlin Wall to bring home to the UK
Mr Thorpe, pictured with his section of the wall, may have to remove it if retrospective planning permission is not granted
He had the segment transported to his home in Dulwich, south-east London
The shopping was the easy task as he then had to transport the heavy wall back to the UK and get it installed in his garden.
He said: ‘It took an awful lot of wrangling to get it here. We had to get export licences and import licences, but we got it.
‘And because it weighs so much, we had to make a dolly to get it down and use lots and lots of machines and winches to get it through the garden.’
After battling the ‘awful’ January weather, the wall was successfully installed at his home.
But for Mr Thorpe it is far more than a garden decoration, it is a ‘really significant part of history’, adding: ‘It’s probably the biggest thing that’s happened in my lifetime.’
Mr Thorpe feels his connections to the wall stretch back to the Cold War when he visited Germany with the club Clifton Rugby and played against the British Army.
However, the segment has not gone down well with everybody nearby – with one neighbour having formally complained to Southwark Council that Mr Thorpe needed planning permission to install the wall.
Mr Thorpe told the Daily Mail: ‘Just as we finished putting it up, a neighbour asked “what is that?”.
The section is now at the centre of a planning dispute involving Southwark Council
Mr Thorpe said of the structure: ‘Because it weighs so much, we had to make a dolly to get it down and use lots and lots of machines and winches to get it through the garden’
Mr Thorpe feels his connections to the wall stretch back to the Cold War when he visited Germany with the club Clifton Rugby and played against the British Army
The Berlin Wall near the Brandenburg gate which was built in August 1961
‘I explained that it was a piece of the Berlin Wall and he said, “You needed to ask my permission for that”. I didn’t think I needed to.’
He has now applied for retrospective planning permission through Dulwich Estates in the hopes they will allow for the wall to remain and not be torn down for a second time.
He said: ‘They either give me permission or they don’t and I’m not sure what I’ll do if they don’t.’
‘It would be a crime to demolish it. It would cost an awful lot to move it – it cost a fortune to get it in.’
Mr Thorpe says children from the south London neighbourhood come over to view the wall and he has even printed a pamphlet with information on the wall.
Steve said: “Most of my neighbours seem to be very supportive of it. The most historically significant event in my life, in our lives, is the fall of the wall. It’s massive.’
A Southwark Council spokesperson said: ‘We have received a planning complaint about a section of wall installed in Dulwich
‘We will investigate the complaint and take any appropriate action in line with the national planning processes.’
The Berlin Wall – also known as the Iron Curtain – was a 155km (96-mile) barrier built by East Germany in August 1961 to prevent its citizens from fleeing to the West.
It stood until November 1989 when a new travel law was mistakenly announced, which saw crowds rush to the border.
The wall was opened under the onslaught of so many people and ultimately torn down, paving the way for Germany’s reunification the following year.
Mr Thorpe’s neighbour, who is making the complaint, has been approached for comment.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login