Neighbours have been locked in a three-year battle with their local council over their ‘Leaning Tower of Pisa’ garden wall.
Dominic Land, aged 66, noticed that the 6ft tall brick wall in Poole, Dorset, began to shift in April 2022. The shifting has continued, and he now considers it to be too unsafe for both himself and his neighbor to use their respective gardens.
He says the 25ft stretch of wall is being pushed over by the council-owned Canford Heath land behind and is now resting on a shed and pagoda.
But his complaints to the local council and their insurers have been stonewalled.
He told MailOnline: ‘The whole wall is like the Leaning Tower of Pisa but trying to speak to the council is like going through a meat grinder.
‘The heathland has never been managed, it’s just been allowed to grow. We’ve contacted the council several times before.
To address the issue, Dominic decided to hire a chartered surveyor for £500 to examine the wall. The surveyor’s assessment pointed towards an accumulation of soil over the years as the cause of the problem. Dominic has shared the surveyor’s report with the council for their reference.
According to Dominic, the instability of the wall poses a threat not only to his property but also to his neighbor’s, who is a lady in her 70s. She regularly takes her dogs out in the garden, increasing the level of risk associated with the situation.
Dominic Land (above) said the 6ft high brick wall first started shifting in April 2022 and has become ‘too dangerous’ for him and his neighbour to go in their gardens
Mr Land says the 25ft stretch of wall is being pushed over by the council-owned Canford Heath land behind and is now resting on a shed and pagoda
His complaints to the local council and their insurers over the wall, which has been ongoing for three years, have been stonewalled
The total cost to rebuild the wall is estimated at £20,000. In February 2025, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council agreed to cover the repair costs, but Mr Land says he has not received any updates since then.
He has spent countless hours on the phone to the council, their solicitors and insurers and believes the issue can be resolved without him taking legal action.
He added: ‘It’s like banging your head against a wall, we all pay council tax but I’m grieved by the treatment we have received.
‘It’s the council’s responsibility, plain and simple, but they don’t want any part of it. I thought they would get their civil contractors to just come and do it.
‘I think the amount they have spent fighting this is already way more than it would have cost them to fix it.’
A spokesperson for BCP Council told MailOnline: ‘We are unable to comment on the specifics of this due to an ongoing insurance claim that has been brought by the homeowner.’
The council was also criticised last December for cutting down ten healthy mature trees to clear the way for a new cycle path in Poole.
Some of the trees were at least 40ft (12m) and had been in place for years, but have now been reduced to stumps.
The total cost to rebuild the wall is estimated at £20,000. In February 2025, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council agreed to cover the repair costs, but Mr Land says he has not received any updates since then
The specimens had stood in the way of a cycle lane currently being built in Poole, Dorset.
It is part of a controversial £120million scheme to build a network of almost 50 miles of cycle lanes in south-east Dorset.
Dorset and BCP Councils have declared ‘climate emergencies’ and want to increase cycling to reduce congestion on the roads.
But in their ‘relentless’ quest to go carbon neutral by 2050 they have sparked outrage with the ‘act of eco-vandalism’.
Critics say that cutting down healthy trees for green travel was ‘ridiculous’.
Others claim the current cycle lanes on the same road are barely used and called the latest work a waste of taxpayers’ money.
Poole resident Bob Lister said: ‘I’m not anti-cyclist – I cycle myself – but the number of people who cycle on that road is minimal.
‘There was a cycle path there before and it was not used much. Have the council done any sort of survey to check how many people will use this cycle path?
Mr Land has spent countless hours on the phone to the council, their solicitors and insurers and believes the issue can be resolved without him taking legal action
‘The council say they want to protect the environment and wildlife, by chopping down trees for a cycle path they have done the reverse. It’s very hypocritical.
‘Birds would nest in those trees and they absorb the carbon dioxide, this policy is anything but green.’
Resident Pete Salmon said: ‘This is eco-vandalism. Surely there was a work-around solution?
‘I know trees can cause problems but they offer so much more. They can draw excess water out of the ground and if you start chopping down trees you can start getting flooding.
‘I cycle and drive and I can understand why the council are doing the cycle lane improvements, but some of the decisions are ridiculous.
‘Chopping down trees for it is just a big shame, the wildlife have lost their eco-system and it will cause drainage problems.’
The plans involve creating two new bus lanes, resurfacing the road, putting in a mile of improved pavements and the new 1.6-mile two-way cycle lane as well as new or improved crossings.
A BCP Council spokesperson said: ‘Tree removal being undertaken on Ringwood Road is needed for the construction of the new bus priority, walking, cycling and road junction improvements in the area.
Mr Land says he paid £500 to have a chartered surveyor inspect the wall, who he says agreed it had been caused by an accumulation of soil over the years
‘The trees have overgrown the available space, and obstructed the existing pavement and cycleway.
‘We will plant replacements as well as additional trees and new landscaping as part of a carefully managed plan to ensure the new trees thrive and become part of a healthy landscape for years to come.’
Councillor Andy Hadley, portfolio holder for climate response, at BCP Council, said: ‘The removed trees were middle aged and from a variety of species including common lime, hybrid black poplar, rowan, ash, field maple, red oak and Turkish hazel.
‘The new trees will be installed in tree pits that will help them to grow healthily and crucially without the roots heaving up the pavement surface, which can create trip hazards for pedestrians.’
A spokesperson for BCP Council told MailOnline: ‘We are unable to comment on the specifics of this due to an ongoing insurance claim that has been brought by the homeowner.’
