Taken to court – for breaking planning law

PEOPLE breaching planning law in Warrington will be taken to court if necessary.
This is the latest message from the borough council following a successful prosecution against a landowner in relation to unauthorised uses of land.
It is the first time the council has taken this type of action -demonstrating the council’s willingness to use all of the powers at its disposal to deal with planning breaches.
Mark Schofield, 37, of Camsley Lane, Lymm appeared at Warrington Magistrates’ Court pleading guilty to three charges of failing to comply
with a planning contravention notice issued by the council.
He was sentenced to a six month conditional discharge and ordered to pay costs of £2,632.36, plus a £15 victim surcharge.
The court was told planning enforcement officers responded to information from the public that land was being used for unauthorised industrial
uses.
Officers issued a planning contravention notice which was not complied with in time and they were not provided with information they requested.
Pete Astley (pictured), the council’s assistant director for regulation and public protection, said: “This case is a very important one as it is the first time this kind of action has been taken by the council and demonstrates our commitment to taking effective enforcement action when
individuals or companies breach the planning rules.
“In addition to the court case, the council is continuing its investigations and the landowner is seeking to comply with our requests.”
“Of course there are cases where people may not be aware of planning laws and we are more than happy to educate and advise people to support them with prosecution being a last resort. However, we will not hesitate to take appropriate action if we believe it is necessary.”