Telford couple hit with fine for using their home as a car lot
A Telford husband and wife have been ordered to pay more than £600 each for keeping more than a dozen cars at their semi-detached house.
David and Lynette Lunn appeared at Telford Magistrates Court Tuesday, accused of breaking planning laws by using their house in Old Vicarage Road, Dawley, to store vehicles, some of which had been there for so long that weeds had grown around them.
Telford and Wrekin Council’s planning officers served the couple with an enforcement notice in November, 2016, ordering them to stop using the land for storing vehicles and to remove any vehicles which would not reasonably be expected for such a house.
The notice also prohibited the repairing of vehicles, other than routine maintenance of the household’s vehicles.
Mr and Mrs Lunn appealed to the Planning Inspectorate, but their case was dismissed by the Secretary of State. A follow-up visit was carried out by a council enforcement officer to find there were 13 vehicles there, an increase from the 11 found by the planning inspector earlier.
Magistrates ordered them to each pay a fine of £250, £400 in costs and a £30 victim surcharge.
They must also comply with the enforcement notice by removing some vehicles.
Councillor Richard Overton, Telford and Wrekin Council’s cabinet member for enforcement, said: “This was a flagrant flouting of planning laws and the couple showed no attempt to resolve the issue and comply with the enforcement notice by removing the vehicles.
“Their neighbours have had to wait patiently for a long time for the investigation to be carried out, for the appeal to be heard and then for this prosecution to take place.
“I thank the council’s enforcement officers for their persistence in achieving this result.”
