A LANDOWNER who refused to remove a house constructed of tyres on Green Belt land has been ordered to pay £3,490 by a court at Warrington.
Patrick Moran claimed the house had been built in 2011 and lived in by his son for four years and, as such, was immune from enforcement action by Warrington Borough Council.
But an inspector appointed by the Secretary of State considered Mr Moran’s appeal and supported the council’s decision that construction of the building was not substantially completed so was not immune from enforcement action.
Mr Moran, of Glazebrook Lane, Glazebrook was fined £2,500, ordered to pay £820 costs and a victim surcharge of £170 after being found guilty of failing to comply with an enforcement notice served by the council.
The court was told that building was made of recycled tyre bales and was sited on Green Belt land in an area of high flood risk, close to a Holcroft Moss, a site of international importance.
The enforcement notice required that Mr Moran remove a building he had constructed of tyres on his own land in Glazebrook. Despite several requests for Mr Moran to remove the building, he failed to comply.
He appealed the notice claiming that the building had been constructed in 2011 and lived in by his son from 2012 to 2016 and was now immune from enforcement action.
After the court hearing, the borough council’s cabinet member for environment and protection, Cllr Judith Guthrie said: “Planning controls are put in place to protect the environment and ensure the safety of buildings and developments.
“As in this case, our planning enforcement always try to work with landowners in order to remedy planning breaches, but will not hesitate to take formal action where this approach doesn’t succeed. Court proceedings are a last resort but will be taken to ensure that the integrity of the planning system is not undermined”.
More details about planning permission and the enforcement process can be found on the council website at warrington.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control
