TRAVELLERS who crowned their home with “ugly” horse statues have blasted their neighbours after losing a bitter planning row.
Brandon Rawlings, 27, and his wife Paige, 25, insist the complaints over their decorations were driven by those who “don’t like Gypsies” and want the family “kicked out”.
But furious locals have hit back by branding the couple “neighbours from hell” – and claiming the horse-topped wall is only one part of a wider catalogue of alleged disruption in the quiet village street in Hampshire.
Mr Rawlings, who is currently in prison, was ordered by council planners to demolish the bold boundary, where brick pillars topped with ornaments of rearing horses stand 2.6 metres tall.
Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council launched enforcement action after ruling the works were carried out without permission and were harmful to the character of the street.
Planning papers reveal how Mr Rawlings fought back against the council – claiming his family were being victimised by local residents.
He claimed to have been told “our kind isn’t welcome here”, adding: “I do feel like we are being victimised because we are Romany Gypsies and I feel the street are out to just cause us problems.”
In an appeal, Mr Rawlings insisted he had improved the look of his address “100 times”, claiming: “We as a family feel like we are targeted because we are Romany Gypsies and that is why we are getting all this bother.
“Our home doesn’t affect the character of the street, it improves the look of the street rather than the overgrown hedges and untidy drive/gardens. Ours is tidy and I think a lot of this comes down to jealousy!’
He added: “I think this all boils down to racism because we have horses on top and the street doesn’t like gypsies. Everybody that sees this place says how we have improved it.
“The only people who moan are the ones who own their house and have told us to our face our kind isn’t welcome here.”
Neighbours painted a very different picture, accusing the couple of making life a “nightmare” for those living nearby.
One neighbour, who asked not to be named, said: “They are neighbours from hell. They do whatever they want and get away with it. It’s appalling. I have had enough, we all have.
“They are a nightmare. I cannot tolerate it anymore. They are a law upon themselves.
“They have breached planning regulations with the horses but nobody has done anything. They just get away with it.
“The horses themselves are ugly. All the work they have done is terrible.
Another neighbour added: “What they’ve done to that house is bad enough. The front looks like a prison compound.
“They’re absolutely neighbours from hell. I would not wish them to live next to my worst enemy.”
Mr Rawlings is currently “in prison”, according to wife Paige, who defended the family, saying: “We are being victimised. We are good neighbours. We are kind to people.
“We were told to remove the trees. We really like the statues. We won’t be taking them down. People just want us to get kicked out.
“They report us. It’s not fair. We could make it look all scruffy, but we’ve looked after it.”
Mr Rawlings wall makeover was completed in late 2021 and he later applied unsuccessfully for retrospective planning permission.
Council planners said the boundary was out of keeping with the surrounding street, where most homes have low hedges or simple fences along the front.
They also warned the couple’s new gates were not set back far enough, meaning drivers would have to stop on the road while opening them.
Two objections were made by local residents, according to planning papers. One said: “Brick wall of that height with horses [is] completely out of character for the road.”
Mr Rawlings insisted the boundary was built to blend in with nearby hedges and stop his children from running into the busy road.
He said: “The fences we have are four foot with a trellis that you can see through.
“I have a massive dog so three foot fences would be no good and wouldn’t be secure for her or my children.
“My driveway needs gates to keep my children safe. My property does not affect the street view at all.’
Mr Rawlings then appealed to the independent Planning Inspectorate but the challenge was rejected this month.
In the ruling, inspector Shaun Harrington said the wall and statues appear an “obvious, jarring urban feature” that clashed with the area’s hedge-lined streets.
He said Mr Rawlings’ concerns about discrimination and the safety of his children had been considered.
However, Mr Harrington concluded there was no compelling evidence that such a tall structure was necessary.
An enforcement notice was upheld ordering the structures to be removed – or reduced to no more than one metre in height – within six months.
