NewsUK NewsLondonSteve Thorpe, 65, purchased a piece of the Berlin Wall before transporting all the way from Germany to his garden in south-east London and then being hit with a formal planning permission complaint14:50, 04 Jul 2026A property developer who snapped up a piece of the Berlin Wall, triggering a Cold War-like stand off in England.‌Steve Thorpe, 65, purchased a piece of the Berlin Wall - that historically divided the German capital before reunification - and brought it back to his home in Dulwich, south-east London. He later placed the 3.1 metre chunk at the back of his garden, but a neighbour has since complained to Southwark Council that it does not have planning permission.‌An investigation has since been launched into whether the wall can remain. The massive concrete slab, which can be seen from the road, was brought to the UK as Mr Thorpe wanted to have a piece of history.‌"The original piece I wanted, they wouldn't sell me as it is going to go to an exhibition at Brandenburg Gate," he said. He later found a different piece, daubed with graffiti that he thought would be a perfect fit for his garden.‌But he learned finding the chunk of wall was the easy part and that he would need to transport it back to the UK and get it installed in his garden. Mr Thorpe continued: "It took an awful lot of wrangling to get it here. We had to get export licences and import licences, but we got it."And because it weighs so much, we had to make a dolly to get it down and use lots and lots of machines and winches to get it through the garden." Not everyone appreciates the effort, however, with one neighbour formally complaining that Mr Thorpe needed planning permission for the wall.Article continues belowHe told the Daily Mail: "Just as we finished putting it up, a neighbour asked 'what is that?'" He continued: "I explained that it was a piece of the Berlin Wall and he said, 'You needed to ask my permission for that'. I didn't think I needed to."A Southwark Council spokesperson later said: "We have received a planning complaint about a section of wall installed in Dulwich We will investigate the complaint and take any appropriate action in line with the national planning processes."Choose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.‌London