A man was fined £1,737 over what inspectors found at a former stables.
East Riding of Yorkshire Council received a complaint that a site at White Gap Road, Little Weighton, had been converted to residential use without permission. When officers visited the site they found significant works had been undertaken to a former stable block to enable conversion to a residential dwelling and a double garage had been built on the land.
The owner, Brendan Downes, was advised that residential use in this countryside location was unlikely to be approved and was asked to cease the use of the building and remove all domestic items from the land.
The owner had submitted a planning application in 2022 for conversion of the stable block to dwelling with associated works, erection of a timber storage building and erection of a shed. The application was refused in 2022 as it did not meet the criteria for residential conversions in the countryside.
It was judged as not a sustainable location for new housing, being sited in a rural location separate from any settlement. The building had been altered giving it a domestic and urban appearance that is not characteristic of the countryside and detrimental to the Yorkshire Wolds Important Landscape Area.
The council served a planning enforcement notice which required that the residential use of the land cease and that the former stable be removed, or that all domestic elements be removed, together with the garage workshop and all domestic items on the land.
An appeal was made against the enforcement notice to the Planning Inspectorate, with the appellant proposing that planning permission should be granted, or that if it isn’t granted, that the timescale for compliance was too short.
The Planning Inspectorate dismissed the appeal for planning permission due to the harmful effects on the character and appearance of the area, and the unsustainable location, but extended the compliance period to nine months.
The notice was due to be complied with by June 15, 2024, but whilst the residential use ceased, the removal of domestic items did not occur.
Noncompliance with an Enforcement Notice is an offence and the notice remains on the land and is required to be complied with.
Mr Downes, of Norwich Road, Stowmarket, appeared at Beverley Magistrates Court, on Wednesday, June 25, where he pleaded guilty to noncompliance with a planning enforcement notice, in relation to an authorisation stable conversion.
He was fined £1000, ordered to pay costs of £337 and a £400 victim surcharge.
Stephen Hunt, East Riding of Yorkshire Council director of planning and development management said: “The planning system exists to ensure that suitable development takes place in the right location and that harmful development is controlled.
“New residential development in the countryside, whether it be in caravans, ‘temporary buildings’ or bricks and mortar is subject to a number of controls to protect our environment and landscapes.
“The Council will take robust action to control harmful development and those breaching the rules may face significant losses on their investments and criminal penalties.”