Residents say they are furious at each being lumbered with a bill for thousands of pounds to rebuild a demolished wall they do not want.

Households in Spillett Close, Faversham have come to blows with housing association Orbit after letters were sent out informing them of plans to reconstruct the brick boundary, which was pulled down in 2020 over fears it could collapse.

And with the estimate currently coming in at £60,000 – £3,000 each when split between 20 properties – there are fears the price could spiral and those affected have called on Orbit to look for an alternative solution.

A group of neighbours have now come together to fight the housing association’s proposals, saying a more cost-effective and environmentally friendly move would be to plant a hedgerow along the 87-yard stretch.

Hayley Gatward told KentOnline it feels as though Orbit is failing to hear the voices of the community.

“Honestly, it feels like they’re not listening to us at all,” said Mrs Gatward, who runs Role Play Rascals in the town.

“We don’t want it; we’re worried it’ll just be added to our maintenance costs without a second thought, when there are other more aesthetically pleasing alternatives.

“We’d love a hedgerow, or something environmentally friendly. What we don’t want or need is a 6ft tall brick wall costing at least £60,000 – it’s not easy finding that sort of money.”

Under the terms of their lease or transfer, residents – who either own their properties, part-own them or live in social housing – are expected to contribute to a repairs fund.

The money is held in trust to cover major works, with Orbit claiming it does not receive any benefit or retain any money from this fund.

Both Orbit and the residents acknowledge the wall needed to come down due to structural issues, with managers claiming it was “found to be leaning and at risk of collapse”.

The housing association also said that given the estate is located within a conservation area, the wall would be required to be rebuilt in the same style as before.

Town councillor Julian Saunders says Swale Borough Council has given him no indication this would be the case and is joining the case on behalf of residents.

Mrs Gatward added: “We do not believe we should be footing the bill when the wall was not built correctly in the first place.”

Retired construction worker Anthony Martin, who is also one of the affected householders, fears the cost may just keep rising, guessing the work could end up doubling in price.

He said: “It’s not our investment, it’s theirs – we’re essentially paying for their infrastructure.

“Truth is, we’ve considered moving and will continue to consider it as the whole situation has just left us very dissatisfied – we’re not being looked after as promised.

“The situation is frightening for everyone as it’s not a small amount of money and there’s no guarantee it wouldn’t or couldn’t keep rising.”

Metal barriers have lined the footprint of the fallen wall – facing School Road and the train tracks – since it was pulled down in 2020.

This setup alone has caused frustration, with residents calling it unsightly and lamenting the loss of valuable pavement space.

Town councillors for St Ann’s ward, Rob Crayford and Julian Saunders (both Labour), sayr their desire to see Orbit engage with residents over ideas for a more suitable and desirable replacement.

“Orbit needs to start talking to residents about this issue and get to a solution that the local community is happy with,” said Cllr Crayford.

“The problems with the dismantled wall appear to date back to its initial construction several decades ago and it doesn’t seem right current residents are having to meet the costs of a replacement.”

Cllr Saunders added: “There will be significant costs in replacing this wall on a like-for-like basis and I would have thought it would be very sensible to explore alternative ways of creating a barrier-like hedging.

“We have written to Swale Borough Council planners who have not suggested there would be an objection to there not being a like-for-like replacement of the wall.”

In a statement to KentOnline, a spokesman for Orbit said: “We have been consulting with owners about the demolition and rebuilding of the wall after it was found to be leaning and at risk of collapse.

“As the estate is within a conservation area, the wall must be rebuilt in the same style in order to comply with local authority planning guidelines.

“Unfortunately, the cost of the work required is greater than the balance of the fund, so owners have been asked to contribute towards the deficit.

“Now that the demolition has been completed, it has unfortunately revealed that additional work is required to make sure that the new wall is safe. We are now in the process of obtaining updated estimates for this work.

“Affected customers are being kept informed throughout this process and will have an opportunity to comment and respond to the proposed work and the estimated costs through the consultation process.”