A neighbour’s complaint about England and Arsenal star Jack Wilshere’s 18ft-high practice mesh fencing in a posh part of Harpenden has failed to result in any council action.
The complaint was lodged with St Albans district council about the recently installed giant net, attached to a boundary fence down one side of the footballer’s home in the heart of West Common, to stop balls from going onto the neighbouring property.
An investigation was launched into the complaint, to see whether any planning rules had been breached in regards to its height and position.
Wilshere’s six-bedroom detached home has views over farmland and Harpenden Golf Club, and is on the market for over £3.6 million.
Council officers visited the 0.32 acre property to see whether any enforcement notices needed to be issued as a result of his neighbour’s complaint.
But, in a statement to the Herts Advertiser Tracy Harvey, head of planning and building control, said : “We have carried out an investigation including a site visit. After weighing up all the factors, we have decided not to take any further action.”
St Albans council’s planning enforcement section investigates about 1,500 complaints and enquiries a year about alleged breaches of planning control across the district.
However most breaches are very minor, and formal action cannot always be justified.
The football star made light of the complaint, putting a video on Instagram of his young son Archie showing his goal-scoring ability near the high netting, and commenting: “At least Arch is a fan of my new goal.”
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