By Staff Reporter

Residents of Howard Close in Romiley have raised urgent concerns about the safety of a large concrete retaining wall following extensive clearance of vegetation from the protected hillside it supports.

The wall, built in the 1960s, holds back an unstable slope on which 24 homes sit. Locals say its stability depended heavily on mature trees and shrubs whose root systems helped bind the soil. In the past year, the new landowner bulldozed the site, stripping away vegetation that residents believe was key to preventing erosion — and doing so despite the area being designated both a Local Wildlife Site and protected amenity land.

“This isn’t just about wildlife — this is about people’s homes and lives,” said one neighbour, who asked not to be named. “If that wall gives way, the damage would be catastrophic and the cost of making good would fall on the taxpayer.”

Council Says Wall Not Adopted

In response to an Environmental Information Request (EIR 101007921982) submitted by a resident, Stockport Council stated that it holds no inspection records for the Howard Close wall, noting that the structures were “never formally adopted by the council after original development.”

This raises a difficult question of responsibility. Under the Highways Act 1980, councils are obliged to maintain highways so they are safe for public use — which may include ensuring that retaining walls supporting the highway are structurally sound. But legal guidance suggests that walls not formally adopted or not part of the highway structure may fall outside routine council maintenance duties.

Councils typically maintain walls below the level of the highway or built as part of the original road construction. Walls that retain private land above road level, or that were installed by developers but never adopted, are usually considered the landowner’s responsibility.

Duty of Care Still Applies

Highway authorities nevertheless have a duty of care to act where a wall poses a danger to the public. If a wall supporting a highway is in such poor condition that it endangers users, councils have powers under Section 167 of the Highways Act to require owners to carry out repairs — or to undertake emergency works themselves and recover the costs.

Campaigners argue that the clearance of vegetation on a slope already supported by an ageing wall should have triggered an ecological and engineering assessment before work went ahead.

Residents’ Demands

Locals are now calling for:

  • An immediate structural inspection of the Howard Close retaining wall.
  • Emergency soil stabilisation and replanting to replace lost root systems.
  • A full ecological survey of the cleared site, in line with planning policy for protected land.

“This is a disaster waiting to happen,” another resident said. “We’ve lost our wildlife, our view — and now we’re losing the very ground our homes stand on.”

At the time of going to press, Vicki Bates, Stockport Council’s Monitoring Officer had not issued a formal comment.

Councillor Angela Clark was informed of the issues at 16.50 on 9th August 2024, but appears to have, yet again, taken no action.