St Martin's douzaine wants earth bank to be protected
A HISTORIC earth bank in a St Martin's lane should be protected to avoid it being further disturbed, the parish douzaine has said.
However, planners have said they had no plans to give it protection after granting permission for some retrospective work.
The issue surrounds a 48m stretch of bank on the northern side of Becquet Lane, along the boundary of Le Becquet Farm.
Last summer, the bank was removed without permission using a digger and replaced with a new bank which had granite pillars along the bottom.
The parish douzaine said the stone pillars forced people to drive closer to the wall on the opposite side, leading to it being damaged.
The property owner applied retrospectively for permission and argued that the existing bank had been clay – so plants would not grow – and wasps had been nesting in it. This resulted in the bank being destabilised.
After discussions and a deferral, the owner changed the scheme so just four metres of the bank – at the entrance to the lane – would have granite pillars. The owner has been told to reinstate the rest of the bank within three months.
