Two words... common sense. What ever happened to it?

Because in Headington at the moment it seems to have been over-looked.

For years, local residents have had to put up with a crumbling mess of a derelict house.

Its owner, Martin Young, bought the 19th century property in Old High Street, a conservation area, in 1978.

Recently, he decided he wanted it knocked it down and five three-storey homes built in its place, but Oxford City Council refused him building permission after five years of planning applications, enforcement orders, appeals and court appearances.

Indeed, he was given an enforcement order by the council to improve and tidy up the house by March 12.

However, while Mr Young awaits the outcome of his appeal against the council’s building objection, his attempts to comply with its enforcement order has sparked a fresh row.

A five-foot high breeze block wall erected by Mr Young has incensed locals and led the council to investigate if the materials used are actually permitted in a conservation area. We have sympathy for the council because it must use due process as it tries to vault each hurdle thrown up in this case.

But we hope that it realises it must use the full extent of its powers to resolve this rather than take a softly softly approach.