Homeowner wins planning battle with angry neighbours after building 7ft concrete 'Berlin Wall' boundary at £1million seaside property

Published: 12:57, 29 May 2026 | Updated: 12:57, 29 May 2026 A Dorset homeowner has won the 'Battle of the Berlin Wall' after officials let him keep an 'eyesore' concrete partition along the edge of his £1million seaside home. Ken Lynch angered neighbours after he replaced a wooden fence with the 75ft-long, 7ft-high grey concrete wall. They compared it to the Berlin Wall and complained it was overly dominant and oppressive. Mr Lynch's neighbours added it was out of keeping with the picturesque neighbourhood of Lilliput, a posh suburb on the edge of Poole Harbour. His application for retrospective planning permission has been approved by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council. Mr Lynch's application, which received two objections, was granted by planning officer Camila Bastidas, who said the wall did not appear to be 'visually intrusive'. Ms Bastidas also said there were other tall front and side boundary walls in the area which helped form part of the established character of the neighbourhood. Neighbours said they were 'dismayed' by the decision which they said gave property developers the green light to do whatever they wanted. The 75ft-long wall was built outside Ken Lynch's detached property in the sought-after Lilliput area of Poole, Dorset Neighbours called the wall overly dominant and oppressive but Mr Lynch has been granted retrospective planning permission The site was previously a  bungalow with a colourful front garden and low brick wall Jo Spragg, 58, a clothing brand owner, said: 'It is very disappointing that they have approved that eyesore. 'It contravenes planning law and should not have been built in the first place. There is no precedent for it here and no other walls like it. 'It sends out the message that you can do something against the rules and keep your fingers crossed as that is the best tactic.' Another neighbour, who asked to remain anonymous, said: 'I'm dismayed. I went to Berlin and saw the wall and all this one needs is some paint and it would be its twin. 'It is an eyesore and the council are saying do what you want because they don't care about the appearance of the area.' Mr Lynch refused to comment on the outcome but described publicity of it as an 'invasion of privacy'. The corner property used to be a bungalow with a low brick wall before the former owner was granted planning permission to add another storey and a rear extension. Mr Lynch bought the detached house in February last year for £1million and replaced the wooden fence with a grey wall. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.