Thorpe St Andrew School: Fence row exposes council land dispute and complaints
An explosive neighbourhood row has erupted over a 2ft fence outside a man’s house after a neighbour tipped off council planning officers it was built on public land. This article examines the gap between Hampshire County Council’s demand that parts of the fence be removed and Phil Edwicker’s claim the barrier is on his land; the context does not mention Thorpe St Andrew School.
Hampshire County Council and Phil Edwicker: the confirmed facts
Confirmed: Hampshire County Council has told Phil Edwicker that he needs to remove part of the fence because it is affecting the verge and footway and encroaching on the public highway. Confirmed: Mr Edwicker has removed some of the fence and three posts on a temporary basis after being given a deadline of March 11 to do so. Documented: the council’s position is presented as a formal removal notice to the resident.
Tim Goodman and the 2023 planning application that prompted the complaint
Confirmed: Neighbour Tim Goodman complained to Hampshire County Council planning officers, prompting the dispute. Documented: Mr Goodman reported the self-build fence when Mr Edwicker applied successfully in 2023 for permission to extend his home. Confirmed: Mr Edwicker, who lives on Itchin Close and is the managing director of a lift company, said he will continue to battle the decision despite removing some posts temporarily.
Thorpe St Andrew School and what the record does not confirm
Documented: Mr Edwicker says he first put up a boundary fence in 2002 and later installed the current fence during Covid, replacing the earlier barrier. Confirmed: he accepts he did not apply for planning permission for the fence itself and says his immediate neighbour had no problem with it. Open question: the context does not confirm documentary proof of land ownership or a formal survey establishing where the public highway boundary lies. Mr Edwicker is on record saying Hampshire Highways Authority “haven’t proved to me it’s their land, it’s just their word against mine. “
Documented pattern: the record shows competing, specific claims rather than a single evidentiary finding. Hampshire County Council states the fence affects the verge and footway; Mr Edwicker states the fence sat on his property since 2002, was upgraded during Covid, and that he believes neighbours accept it. Confirmed: the fence includes LED lights and stainless steel wires, and Mr Edwicker described the work as a personal passion into which he has put significant time and money.
Open question: the context does not confirm any technical survey, title documents, or an adjudication that would resolve ownership of the strip of land where the fence stands. For now, the record contains the council’s removal demand, the neighbour complaint lodged after the 2023 planning application, and Mr Edwicker’s insistence the fence is on his land. The context also does not connect Thorpe St Andrew School to the dispute in any way.
What would resolve the central question is specified in the competing statements themselves. If Hampshire Highways Authority provides documented proof that the verge and footway are council land, it would establish that the fence encroaches on the public highway. If Mr Edwicker produces legal proof or a surveyed boundary showing the fence sits inside his title, it would establish the opposite. For now, the record contains clear, contradictory claims but no resolving proof in the material presented.
