Here's an update on Grainger’s fence. 

It appears that SODC Environmental Health team wrote to the Grainger (aka Derwent) in July 2017. The letter is here. They reported a complaint of motorbike noise and asked Grainger to get in touch ‘as soon as possible’. 

We don’t know if they did. We do know that Didcot Police have no record of complaints about motorbikes. And we do know too that locals are bemused by reports of nuisance.

Grainger are of course entitled to fence the land they own*. We will leave you to judge if a 6ft close boarded wall of timber is an appropriate and justifiable solution to a problem that may never have existed. And we will leave you to consider if Grainger’s ‘they told us to do it’ position is a reason or an excuse. 

Mr Beresford and Mr Jopling from Grainger have both been gracious enough to reply to locals queries. We wonder now if their grace will extend to removing the panels. In our view such an act would be welcome by all. The community; our local elected representatives and Grainger’s shareholders. 

What's your view John and Nick?

(* Fencing of land and property is normally considered to be 'Permitted Development' and thereby does not require planning permission. However, fences or walls that are 'adjacent' to a highway and are above 1m are not normally considered Permitted Development.)