Fury in UK town as aristocrat in row with council over barbed wire

Lord Charles Townshend wanted to erect a barbed ligament obstruction (Image: SWNS)

An aristocrat has mislaid his entreaty to erect a barbed ligament obstruction on the perimeter of a communal adjacent to his 17th-century estate.

Lord Charles Townshend, proprietor of Raynham Estate, hoped to conception the fencing astir Shereford Common, adjacent Fakenham, Norfolk.

The five-hectare crippled of onshore is utilized for grazing cattle including Lord Townshend's pure-bred Aberdeen Angus cows.

The lord became the 8th marquess successful 2010 with the household having owned the onshore astir Raynham Estate since the 12th century. The state location was built successful 1621 and the 5,000 acre property is 1 of the biggest successful Norfolk.

The lord submitted an exertion to the Planning Inspectorate successful August 2023.

The Raynham Estate is 1 of the largest successful Norfolk, (Image: SWNS)

The plans said the  barbed ligament fence would support the onshore successful "good cultivation and biology condition" arsenic it would enclose the grazing cattle.  However, the readying inspectorate denied the entreaty arsenic it would person 'no affirmative impacts' connected the neighbourhood.

The inspectorate said the obstruction would beryllium "highly visible" to section radical and it would "harm the public's enjoyment of the landscape". It added that determination were different alternatives to forestall the cattle of pure-bred Aberdeen Angus straying portion maintaining the information of the common.

It said: "The exertion would person nary affirmative impacts connected the neighbourhood and would effect successful a mean adverse effect connected the conservation of the landscape. Alternatives to the fencing would support the information of the communal and would let for grazing by preventing cattle from straying, whilst avoiding the adverse effect."

The Open Spaces Society had besides objected to the plans, stating determination are nationalist rights of entree implicit the onshore and that the obstruction would support the nationalist out. The conservation charity's lawsuit serviceman Hugh Craddock added determination was "no evidence" that the property had been fixed consent to erect the archetypal fence.

Electric fencing and immoderate woody fenceposts are presently contiguous astir overmuch of the communal and is thought to person been determination for decades. The readying inspectorate said consent for erstwhile oregon existent fences are not a substance for them to woody with.

However they added that the barbed-wire obstruction connection would person nary antagonistic effect connected the interests of radical with rights of entree crossed the land. But these were "neutral matters" which did not measurement successful the estate's favour.