In a press release issued today Brent Council claim leadership in planning enforcement with the second highest number of enforcement notices issued by local authorities in the country.
The press release in full (unedited):
Brent has nearly topped every other local authority in tackling planning breaches by issuing the second-highest number of enforcement notices in the country in 2021/22.
According to data from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Brent Council key workers issued 111 enforcement notices in 2021/22.
These notices are given to landlords, residents and businesses who break planning regulations, often providing inadequate housing or building on land that isn't suitable.
The notice may order the developer to stop building or demand that a building be demolished.
Councillor Harbi Farah, Cabinet Member for Safer Communities and Public Protection, said:
"This announcement shows how dedicated our planning enforcement staff are and how important it is to us that residents have safe, comfortable and adequate environments that they can live and work in.
"We will always work closely with people to help them with their planning applications process, but when landlords and businesses unfairly break the rules and create an unfair environment for everyone else - our enforcement team will step in."
This announcement follows a whopping £165,600 fine issued last month to a landlord who was caught breaking housing rules and offering a poor quality and overcrowded house to residents.
The breach was the change of the use of the home to accommodate multiple people and a single-storey rear conversion. It was overcrowded and housed 18 people at one stage, including seven children.
This was after the council also fined a landlord £152,500 for turning a two-floor property into three substandard flats.
Councillor Harbi Farah continued:
"Cases like these prove the importance of action against people who do not play by the rules that are there to protect us."
For once, I fully support a small team of Brent Planning Officers. Keep up the good enforcement work!
ReplyDeleteIt is such a shame that the Council's hierarchy restrict what they can enforce against. It all depends on who you know. It's a bit like Licensing amd Planning Applications.
ReplyDeleteGood work Brent. Now go after others, there’s a lot more opportunity out there
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