Mystery after 6ft wall dividing estate called ‘Berlin Wall 2’ is knocked down

A frustrated local has bulldozed part of a wall dubbed the ‘Berlin Wall 2′ after it appeared between two estates.

A massive wall was erected between the Kellands Lane estates in Okehampton, Devon, leaving residents shocked by the imposing structure.

People said it looks like the infamous wall dividing East and West Berlin, which was eventually torn down during the collapse of the Soviet Union.

It was sprayed with graffiti saying ‘Berlin Wall Mk 2,’ and the council issued an Enforcement Notice on April 25 telling the owner to take it down by May 27 or officials would do so.

One local said online: ‘I thought Trump was only building walls in America!’

‘There will be watchtowers installed’

The row has now escalated after a mystery local rented a JCB digger and knocked down part of the wall to make a hole.

One resident said: ‘I don’t know why they’ve put it there.

‘It does look like the Berlin Wall, It made the neighbourhood a lot quieter, people were joking that there would soon be watchtowers installed.

‘Everyone was grateful to the person that knocked it down.’

Councillor George Dexter said the problem is that the land sits on a ‘ransom strip’ near privately owned land.

This means anyone going through the strip of land is technically committing trespass.

He said: ‘There used to be a hedge here, but families would just walk around it and in the intervening years the estates have sprung up around it.

‘A few weeks ago this wall suddenly appeared and everyone was confused. It cuts off everybody here.

‘Last week a resident took things into his own hands and soon after the council issued an enforcement notice.’

Another resident said the wall means her husband can’t get through it as he uses a mobility scooter.

Councillor Caroline Mott, the lead member for planning and the built environment at West Devon Borough Council, told Devon Live: ‘The Council has taken action to have the structure removed and hope the inconvenience to the community will be resolved as a matter of urgency.’

Landowner’s reaction after the digger incident

The developer of the private land said the incident, which happened on April 17, has been reported to the police.

A spokesman for Leander Developments said: ‘The land in question is under private ownership, and there is no public right of way across this land – this isn’t a question of inconvenience to the public, as anyone who crosses this land is committing trespass.

‘To date, we have received a stop notice, but not an enforcement notice.

‘The recently erected temporary structure, on our land, was done for public safety and insurance purposes as Google Maps has started to show a right of way across this private land.

‘Our insurance requires us to take reasonable steps to prevent trespass, and Google now showing this as a right of way could invalidate our insurance, unless we can demonstrate that we have taken positive steps to prevent illegal entry onto our land.

‘On Thursday 17th April, a member of the public, with a digger, caused criminal damage by driving through this temporary structure. This has been filed with the police who have raised a crime number.

‘We would recommend members of the public stay away from this structure as we cannot guarantee its integrity following this attack, and the stop notice served by the Council prevents us from undertaking any remedial work.

‘To safeguard our insurance, we considered it our right under permitted developments to erect a temporary structure, and it is disappointing that Council is taking measures which allow trespassing to continue, despite making them aware that this was for insurance purposes.’

The developer said it met with council officers at the site in January 2023, but ‘no further action was taken by West Devon Borough Council,’ adding that it was willing to work towards a ‘long-term solution’ but the council ‘do need to engage with us.’

We approached the council and the police for a comment.

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