Telford company ordered to cease unauthorised engineering and excavation operations
A Telford company has been ordered to cease all engineering and excavation operations and restore the land to its former condition.
A planning inspector has found in favour of Telford & Wrekin Council following a four day public inquiry after a local company appealed against an enforcement notice relating to substantial unauthorised engineering works.
This amounted to what the council claimed was “unauthorised carrying out of engineering operations and other operational development using heavy plant and machinery in order to excavate the land substantially altering the ground levels and the associated extraction of stone.”
SP Holding Ltd appealed against the enforcement notice and this appeal resulted in a four day public inquiry which was held in January.
The appeal has now been dismissed on all grounds except for a variation to the compliance period.
It means that the enforcement notice will be upheld and SP Holding Ltd will be required to cease all engineering and excavation operations on the site and restore the land to at Upper Coalmoor Farm, Coalmoor Lane, Moreton Coppice to its former condition.
The company will also be required to cease to use the land for the parking and storage of various vehicles and remove all such vehicles and items from the land.
Councillor Richard Overton, Telford & Wrekin Council’s cabinet member for Housing and Enforcement, said: “We are very pleased with the inspector’s decision to dismiss the appeal and uphold the enforcement notice on all grounds.
“This fully supported the council’s view that the development was unauthorised and also an inappropriate form of development in this location that caused significant harm to the character and appearance of the countryside and the site itself.
“It is further evidence that where development is carried out without the necessary planning permission, Telford & Wrekin Council will take enforcement action where appropriate.”
