The vista from Providence Cottages was once one of the finest on the Broads, showing rolling meadows down to a meandering river and the horizon beyond. People had moved to the row of pretty homes in Shipmeadow, on the river Waveney specifically for the view. But a neighbours’ dispute has ended access to the scenery.
It all changed after a bare, wooden 6ft fence went up in front of the low chain-link fence that had previously allowed residents sight of the beautiful panorama. It has completely blocked off any view of the landscape.
Kevin Wilkinson, who rents one of the cottages, said the barrier was put up without warning by the owner of a neighbouring field, Alix Eva Roos, after the pair fell out in a petty dispute.
Bad blood over weeds
Wilkinson believes the bad blood may have started a year and a half ago when Roos became cross that he asked one of his neighbours to go on to her land to clear some weeds near his property.
The only other moment of direct conflict came when he complained about horses from the field sticking their heads over the chain-link fence into his garden and eating his plants. He suggested Roos put up an electric fence, but she declined. Instead, she put up the wooden fence and told Wilkinson it was to protect her privacy.
The explanation has left Wilkinson baffled as he claims he rarely sees her in the field, which is rented out to a tenant who keeps horses, sheep and goats there.
His neighbours are also concerned about the sudden appearance of the fence, as is the landlord whose family has owned the cottages for many years. However, an appeal for help from the Broads Authority, which is responsible for planning decisions in Shipmeadow, between Beccles and Bungay, came to nothing.
No rules broken
Officials did visit the site but said there was nothing to do as Roos was entitled to put up fencing on her land and the height of the boundary is within regulations.
The situation has exasperated Wilkinson, who used to be able to enjoy the view from inside his cottage and said it was one of the key reasons he moved to the property. He said the sight of the landscape from his kitchen – where he spends most of his time – gave him “solace” during a difficult period of his life after a debilitating health condition left him housebound.
The 62-year-old said: “It was an absolutely magnificent view, a beautiful vista. I loved watching the stunning creatures that visited the field and recently saw a buzzard up close catching its prey. But now my light is blocked and all I can see is the tops of the trees. It is hideous.”
Roos, who declined to comment, put up the fence last month.
Vista destroyed
Wilkinson said before he asked a neighbour to remove weeds from Roos’ land, he had not had any problems with her or the tenant since moving to Shipmeadow from Beccles three years ago. “It makes no sense,” Wilkinson said, adding: “I have seen her maybe five times in the last three years, but she worries about her privacy? She offered to buy me some plants as compensation but this would be no compromise. I feel like I have been incarcerated in a cell, it was my one solace.”
Lauren Varty, who lives next door, only moved in a few months ago, choosing to live there as the view was a “key selling point”. The 27-year-old added: “It is quite sad. Now the view has gone we may as well be living in a town. That is why you move to the countryside but this has been blocked. It is depressing.”
Counting the cost
The cottages are rented out by landlord Robin Remblance, whose family has owned all three of the properties for eight decades and now worries the value has decreased due to the fence.
He said: “It makes the properties less marketable. It looks like it will cost me money and I am expected to be happy about it. People come here for the views but that is lost, unfortunately. I can’t see what the owner is getting out of it.”
Despite its name, Shipmeadow has no known links with shipbuilding and it is instead thought to have originally been known as Sheepmeadow.
It really is a case of be careful what you wish for. One consolation is that at least the horses won’t be able to eat any more of Wilkinson’s plants.
This article was published by the Local Democracy Reporting Service and edited by East Anglia Bylines.
