A millionaire businessman installed an electric fence around his £44.5 million Notting Hill mansion to keep foxes away; neighbours say it looks like a prisoner-of-war camp

A millionaire businessman has put up an electric fence around his £44 million mansion in Notting Hill, west London, to keep foxes away. David Walsh, who bought the four-storey property with his wife, Jyotsna Chadha, in 2023, gave “fox prevention purposes” as the reason in planning documents. Neighbours have called the fence ugly and likened it to a prisoner-of-war camp, while Kensington and Chelsea Council described it as an unwelcome addition. According to The Sun, Mr Walsh says the council looked at the wrong photographs. The Ladbroke Association has also raised public safety concerns about the barrier.Why did neighbours hate the millionaire’s electric fenceNeighbours in the area have called the fence ugly and likened its appearance to that of a prisoner-of-war camp. According to the report, the local authority, Kensington and Chelsea Council, described the installation as an unwelcome addition to the area.The report states that the council's enforcement papers suggested the fence would amount to a fortification of the property. The council said its design, height and prominent position would fail to preserve the character and appearance of the building, the street scene and the wider conservation area.Why did Mr Walsh defend installing the electric fenceMr Walsh told the Daily Mail that his wife is very frightened of foxes and that the matter was none of the council's business. He also said the council had become confused and had looked at the wrong photographs in the planning application.The report quotes Mr Walsh as saying he has a much better and more discreet plan, which he claims the council overlooked because of those photographs. According to The Sun, the fence is reportedly supported by his immediate neighbour, whose boundary wall is being used for the equipment. The report adds that Mr Walsh agreed with the measure and said he was tired of foxes digging through the rubbish.Why did the Ladbroke Association oppose the electric fenceThe Ladbroke Association, a community group founded in 1969 to care for the beauty, history and character of the neighbourhood, objected to the fence. According to the report, the group raised public safety concerns and the potential danger to people walking past the home.The association called for conditions requiring a minimum strength of current and adequate public liability insurance. It said it was surprised that the officers' report treated this as outside the scope of the planning assessment. According to The Sun, the group believes public safety should be a material planning consideration in this case.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.