£10,000 fine for storing scrap

Bedford Borough Council prosecuted Mr David John Wright, of Harter Road, who pleaded guilty for breaching a Planning Enforcement Notice.

Mr Wright had been sorting scrap material outside of his home, and was issued a Planning Enforcement Notice to cease. The Council's investigation showed that there was an unlawful change of use to mixed use of residential and storage of scrap (including vehicle parts, vehicle tyres, vehicle accessories, cycles, cycle parts, building materials, general household rubbish, household appliances, vehicle storage, caravan storage and miscellaneous items) not associated with the residential use over a significant period of time.

Mr Wright also failed to engage with the Council as the local planning authority and did not fix the breach of planning control by the continued storing of scrap material.

A Planning Enforcement Notice was issued in May 2020 requiring him to stop storing scrap material at this address within two months and for all scrap to be permanently removed. Following a number of visits over a number of months, it was found that a large variety of scrap was still stored at the site.

The Magistrates Court considered the breach to be serious. Mr Wright was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay the Council's costs of £676.50 and a victim surcharge of £190.

Councillor Henry Vann, Portfolio Holder for Planning said "This large fine of £10,000 plus costs follows the painstaking and meticulous work of officers in investigating this blatant ongoing breach of a planning enforcement notice, which saw large quantities of unsightly scrap material blight a quiet residential street. These breaches can cause harm to a local area and the lives of residents, and our officers will work to enforce against them where there are grounds to do so. Building up a planning case necessarily takes time and I would like to thank the team for their hard work in tackling this unacceptable behaviour."