A traveller couple have accused their neighbours of “racism” and “not liking gipsies” after a furious row erupted over them installing huge horse statues on their front wall.
Brandon Rawlings, 27, and his wife Paige, 25, from Kingsclere in Hampshire, have lost their planning appeal over the 2.6-metre boundary adorned with ornamental rearing equines.
Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council initiated enforcement proceedings after determining that the wall and four accompanying horse statues were erected without permission and damaged the street’s character.
In an appeal, the couple said they feel “victimised because we are Romany Gypsies” and “the street is out to just cause us problems”.
Mr Rawlings alleged residents had directly confronted him about his background, claiming: “I have been told ‘our kind isn’t welcome here.'”
“I think this all boils down to racism because we have horses on top and the street doesn’t like gypsies,” he wrote to the council.
The husband and father, who is currently “in prison”, according to Mrs Rawlings, dismissed critics as jealous homeowners in the paperwork, insisting the family had dramatically improved the property’s appearance.
He had also previously argued that the boundary was constructed to prevent his children from accessing the busy road and to secure the property for their large dog.
A neighbour row has erupted over huge stone horses being built on a garden wall by a traveller family
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FACEBOOK: BRANDON RAWLINGS
“We really like the statues,” Mrs Rawlings declared. “We won’t be taking them down.
“We are being victimised. We are good neighbours. We are kind to people.”
However, those living nearby have offered a starkly different account, with one describing the pair as “neighbours from hell”.
“They do whatever they want and get away with it.”
Brandon and Paige Rawlings have accused their neighbours of ‘racism’ and ‘not liking gipsies’
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FACEBOOK: BRANDON RAWLINGS
The same resident described living near the couple as intolerable, adding: “They are a nightmare. I cannot tolerate it anymore. They are a law unto themselves.”
Complaints extended beyond the controversial wall, with locals citing regular fires, excessive noise, and the fact they previously owned large dogs that barked throughout the night.
Another neighbour compared the property’s frontage to a “prison compound”, stating, “They’re absolutely neighbours from hell. I would not wish them to live next to my worst enemy.”
The horse statues themselves were also dismissed as “ugly” by those living nearby, according to the Daily Mail.
Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council determined the equine features were erected without permission
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FACEBOOK: BRANDON RAWLINGS
In their decision, planning officials noted that most properties on the street feature low hedges or simple fencing along their frontages, making the Rawlings’s boundary distinctly out of place.
The couple’s application for retrospective planning permission was rejected, prompting an appeal to the independent Planning Inspectorate.
Inspector Shaun Harrington dismissed the challenge earlier this month, describing the wall and statues as an “obvious, jarring urban feature” that clashed with the hedge-lined surroundings.
While acknowledging Mr Rawlings’ concerns about discrimination and child safety, the inspector found no compelling evidence that such a tall structure was necessary.
The enforcement notice gives the family six months to either remove the structures entirely or reduce them to no more than one metre in height.