Riddle of who is responsible for old wall repair in Yarmouth

The state of an old wall in Great Yarmouth is drawing concerns, but repairs have stalled because no-one is sure who owns it. (Image: Archant)

Although quotes have been prepared and various options put forward no progress has been made because no-one has yet been able to pin-down who it belongs to.

Hailing from an era that pre-dates the houses around it in St Nicholas Terrace, Great Yarmouth, the wall serves no real purpose and is not particularly historic.

However county councillor Mick Castle said its poor condition and gaping hole were drawing concerns from residents who said it looked horrible and were worried it was unsafe.

Mr Castle said a few months had passed since he was first alerted to the problem and that frustration was mounting over the lack of action.

He said that someone needed to 'grasp the nettle' and take responsibilty before the school summer holidays when it could become a magnet for youngsters and a potential hazard.

GYB Services, the borough council's operational partner, has told officers how much it thinks the work would cost and set out various ways the problem could be resolved spanning a patch repair to full restoration and re-pointing.

Although the job itself is straightforward, access to the site is difficult with 'barrowing' being the only means of getting materials in and out.

The sums involved are reportedly 'not too expensive' but a formal go-ahead is needed before work is carried out by the borough council on what could be a privately owned asset.

Engineers have established that the footpath either side is county council owned.

Conservation officer Darren Barker said that in its day the town would have been riddled with similar flint walls which were not uncommon.

It is reckoned to be a few hundred years old and possibly attached to the St Nicholas Minster Church at some point, although whether that is still the case remains unclear.