Man ordered to pay over £10k for storing scrap outside his Bedford home

A man has been prosecuted for sorting scrap material outside his Bedford home.

David John Wright, of Harter Road, pleaded guilty to breaching a Planning Enforcement Notice.

He was found to be storing:

Vehicle parts

Tyres

Cycles

Cycle parts

Building materials

General household rubbish

Household appliances

Vehicle

Caravan

Mr Wright had been issued with Planning Enforcement Notice by Bedford Borough Council after he had been found sorting scrap material outside his home.

However, an investigation showed there was an unlawful change of use to mixed use of residential and storage of scrap not associated with residential use over a significant period of time.

Mr Wright also failed to engage with the council as the 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 and Mr Wright was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay the council’s costs of £676.50 and a victim surcharge of £190.

Cllr 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.”