South Gloucestershire Council

Published: 07/08/2015

A homeowner from Hambrook, South Gloucestershire has been ordered to pay almost £3,500 after pleading guilty to carrying out unauthorised works to a listed building.

Mazhar Iqbal of Bristol Road, Hambrook was fined £2,000 and ordered to pay a further £1,339.59 in legal costs when he appeared at Yate Magistrates’ Court on 31 July.

The unauthorised works took place at Mr Iqbal’s grade II listed home, which is situated on Bristol Road, Hambrook, and included:
• a new extension on the rear elevation of the building
• new floor finishes on the ground floor and first floor have been added, as well as a new base substrate screed
• a new balustrade erected above the front porch
• new doors and windows have been added to the rear elevation central porch entrance, the detailed design of which were not approved
• new ceiling and wall linings in decorative motif forms have been added internally.

Our planning enforcement team and conservation officer have been involved with the property for a number of years, and have made repeated requests that Mr Iqbal seeks consent before any works are undertaken. It recently came to light that the above works had been carried out by Mr Iqbal without the benefit of listed building consent and officers assessed that the works were detrimental to the architectural and historic interest of the building.

Officers concluded that the works undertaken would not have been granted listed building consent if it had been applied for. Furthermore, the unauthorised works undertaken were considered to be sufficiently serious that they warranted pursuing prosecution proceedings against Mr Iqbal.

Cllr Brian Allinson, Chair of South Gloucestershire Council’s Planning, Transportation and Strategic Environment Committee, said: “Planning regulations and enforcement notices are there to help protect the local environment. Failure to comply with an enforcement notice is a criminal offence and any breaches are taken very seriously.
“Our planning enforcement team will take appropriate action when a breach to the planning rules occur such as building, changing or demolishing structures without permission or using sites for unauthorised purposes.”

South Gloucestershire Council were awarded full costs for the prosecution and Mr Iqbal was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £120.

A Listed Building Enforcement Notice was also issued in respect of the property on 24 June 2015 requiring that various actions are undertaken by 24 July 2016 to address the harm caused by the unauthorised works.