4 November 2009, 09/260
Comply with planning regulations or
risk prosecution
West Lancashire Borough Council is warning
property owners that they must comply with planning regulations or
risk prosecution.
The warning follows a recent court case when
Paul Harrison of Tithebarn Street, Liverpool, the owner of a
property in Stanley Street in the Ormskirk Town Centre Conservation
Area, was fined £1,500, with costs of £1,272, after failing to
comply with the requirements of an enforcement notice to remove
parts of a hard-standing and replace it with landscaped
planting. The Council had sought to resolve this matter
without recourse to the courts, but had been left with no
alternative, given the landowner’s lack of action. The works
were finally completed on the day before the hearing, but the
magistrates issued a fine and a costs order due to the long time it
had taken him to comply and the time and cost of taking the matter
to court.
Cllr Martin Forshaw, portfolio holder for
planning, said: “This case underlines the importance of complying
with planning regulations, which are there to safeguard the
environmental quality and visual amenity of the Borough.
“The Council takes its enforcement duties
seriously and we will not hesitate to issue enforcement notices, or
take court action, if necessary.”
Related information