Council chiefs have warned homeowners of the need to abide by planning laws after taking enforcement action at properties in Horsforth and Garforth.
In the Horsforth case, planning permission was granted in 2017 for side and rear extensions to a property in the Rawdon Road area. But once work started it became clear that what was taking shape differed substantially – in design and size – from the approved plans.
The council said the finished development had an unacceptable impact on the character and appearance of the area.
Following an unsuccessful application by the owner for retrospective planning permission that would have allowed the extensions to remain as built, the council served an enforcement notice that required them to be modified or removed.
After the owner failed to comply with this notice, the council brought a prosecution which culminated in a hearing at Leeds Crown Court.
Following a guilty plea, the owner was fined £17,000 and ordered to pay the council’s costs, which were in excess of £19,000.
The property is now under different ownership but, despite the successful prosecution, the extensions are still in place. The council has told the new owner that they must be modified – so they are in line with the approved 2017 plans – or removed.
Councillor Jonathan Pryor, Leeds City Council’s deputy leader and executive member for economy, transport and sustainable development, said: “The council takes its duties as the planning authority for Leeds extremely seriously, with investigations into potential regulation breaches being conducted as quickly and effectively as possible.
“Where it is considered appropriate for us to do so, we will use our enforcement powers to protect the character and appearance of the city and maintain public confidence in the planning system.
“The cases in Horsforth and Garforth have been long-running and complex, and I would like to thank officers involved for the diligence and determination they have shown.
“We hope the results will act as a reminder to people in Leeds that breaches of planning regulations can have significant and costly consequences.”
Matters that can be investigated by the council’s planning enforcement service include developments without planning permission, developments that fail to comply with agreed permission, unauthorised changes of use and unauthorised work on buildings of special architectural or historic interest.
People with concerns about a possible breach of planning regulations can contact the council by e-mailing planning.enforcement@leeds.gov.uk. Further information about the authority’s enforcement work can be found here.