A wall in Wantage which had been left in an unsafe condition is set to be removed after Vale of White Horse District Council stepped in to take control of the affected land. The wall, which lies at the bottom of a 15ft steep bank separating Haywards Close from Wallingford Street, is owned by three separate parties and this had caused problems in determining who should be responsible for its repair and maintenance. Following years of neglect part of the wall was deemed unsafe by building control inspectors last year, resulting in the closure of the adjacent footpath and pavement. The closures meant that people walking along Wallingford Street had to cross the road next to a busy double roundabout in order to continue their journey. Vale of White Horse District Council has now agreed to take ownership of the part of the land where the damaged wall stands and will carry out the following work:
- the trees on the bank will be removed
- the bank will be regraded (less steep) to make it safer and re-landscaped to make it easier to maintain
- much of the wall, including the dangerous stretch, will be completely removed
- the footpath will be repaired and reopened.
The landscaping work will start in December with the removal of the wall taking place from mid January. It is likely that traffic management will be in place on Wallingford Street while this work takes place. The work will be paid for from a contribution made by the previous owner and from district council contingency funds. Cllr Matthew Barber, Leader of Vale of White Horse District Council, said: “This issue has caused a lot of inconvenience and concern for local residents. Quite simply it has gone on long enough so we’ve stepped in and agreed to take over the affected area and will be carrying out the work required over the next couple of months.”