A south London property developer is facing a planning investigation after installing an authentic section of the Berlin Wall in his backyard garden without obtaining planning permission, according to a report from multiple outlets including. daily Mail.
Steve Thorpe, 65, transported the 3.1 meter long concrete slab from East Germany to his home near Herne Hill and Half Moon Lane in Dulwich, where the historical monument now stands at the back of his property. The graffiti-covered structure reportedly weighs approximately 6,200 pounds and can be seen from parts of the property, prompting at least one neighbor to complain to Southwark Council.
A personal mission to preserve history
Thorpe said daily Mail This wall is much more than a decorative garden feature. Born in 1961, the same year construction of the Berlin Wall began, he said its fall in 1989 was “the biggest thing that happened in my lifetime.”
His interest arose from repeated trips to Germany with Clifton Rugby Club between 1986 and 1991, where he played matches against the British Army. They later unearthed parts of the wall after discovering that a grain farmer in Sigelkow was using hundreds of the pieces for lining farm sheds.
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Thorpe and his friend, James Hervey-Bathurst, traveled to Germany to select a fragment when they learned that their favorite fragment had already been reserved for an exhibition near the Brandenburg Gate. In the United Kingdom an export and import license is required to secure the slabs selected before they can be shipped by lorry and barge.
Complicated installation leads to neighbor complaints
Installing the wall on Thorpe’s home proved to be a major engineering challenge. He said workers built a custom dolly and relied on winches, scaffolding, ramps and heavy machinery to move the giant slab through the property during bad weather in early 2025.
according to daily MailA neighbor questioned the installation on the day it was completed and later lodged a formal planning complaint, arguing that permission should have been obtained before erecting such a large structure.
Thorpe has since submitted a retrospective planning application through Dulwich Estates. He says he never believed that planning approval was necessary because he saw the monument as a historical artefact rather than a traditional structure.
The council’s investigation is still ongoing
Southwark Council confirmed it had received the complaint and said it would investigate before deciding whether any enforcement action was needed. A site inspection is reportedly scheduled for July 15.
Thorpe says many local residents support the exhibit and neighborhood children come regularly to learn about the Cold War. They have also produced informational leaflets explaining the history of the Berlin Wall and planted trees to soften its appearance. However, if retrospective permission is refused, the future of the historical monument in their garden remains uncertain.
