County Council Needs Listed Building Consent to Remove Graffiti

Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) have now confirmed they need listed building consent from Wokingham Borough Council and South Oxfordshire District Council to remove the graffiti from Henley Bridge which was sprayed on last May (9 months ago).

Despite Henley Town Council’s Town & Community Meeting progress report stating that the Town Clerk had written to OCC “Although the centre of the bridge is the border of Wokingham Borough, the bridge is owned the bridge is maintained by Oxfordshire County Council, the same issue happens with Sonning bridge, but Wokingham Borough Council (WBC) own and maintain that bridge. The graffiti is on the side of the bridge, not the actual structure of the bridge and is in the Wokingham Borough so it has been agreed that WBC’s Conservation team will inspect and decide what can be done to remove the H.”  We took this statement that OCC was passing on the removal of the graffiti to WBC and based our story last week on this.

An Oxfordshire spokesperson today has qualified, “Oxfordshire County Council intends to attempt to remove the graffiti and have never suggested at any time that this would be for any authority other than us. But the granting of the various permissions required to undertake that work are typically planning matters dealt with by district or borough councils. We are trying to establish which of the two neighbouring planning authorities it is that we need permission from, before in turn making that application.

“We have been actively working with Wokingham Borough Council to try to confirm whether they are responsible for Planning matters in relation to the section of the bridge on which the graffiti is to be removed. They have not been able to confirm this but have indicated that a Planning Application should be sent to them for approval. As they may not be the legal Planning Authority for this part of the bridge, it is also intended to send a Planning Application to South Oxfordshire District Council, who are the other party who could be legally responsible.”

“Listed building consent is necessary to ensure that the proposed method of removal is approved and that every provision is made for that work not to damage the underlying stonework. We are in the process of compiling the necessary information and paperwork required for the submission.”