Latest news with #BrecklandCouncil
The Sun
02-07-2025
- General
- The Sun
We live next to eyesore cottage covered in scaffolding for 5 YEARS with rubbish strewn across garden – we're sick of it
NEIGHBOURS who live next to an eyesore cottage which has been covered in scaffolding for five years and rubbish litters the garden, say they are sick of it. The property dubbed 'Scaffold House' by angry locals is at the centre of a five-year-long planning row for its messy building work. 3 3 The house on Letton Road in Shipdham, Norfolk, has been undergoing renovations since 2020. Owner Margaret Smith predicted the works to replace ceilings and the roof would run until 2030. However neighbours have repeatedly complained to Breckland Council that the home is an eyesore with building material strewn across the garden. Now, the row - which has been running almost as long as the scaffolding has been up - has seen government inspectors drafted in to resolve it. If they rule against Ms Smith she could be forced to take it all down. The renovation of the detached two-bedroom house in Letton Road started soon after Ms Smith purchased it for £185,000 in 2020. The scaffolding has been a prominent feature of the street in the past five years and locals quickly became irritated by the new view from their gardens. Breckland Council received an enforcement complaint in 2021 but the investigation into the property was dropped the following year. This was on the basis that materials were being temporarily stored at the property for the purposes of renovating it. However, the complaint was reopened in 2023 due to an increase in the amount of materials being stored and a reconsidered view that these items 'go beyond' what would be required for building works. I came home to find my nightmare neighbour knocking down my DOOR – he claimed it was his right to do it The authority decided to take full enforcement action in January this year and ordered Ms Smith to remove debris and materials from the property by November. Ms Smith has appealed this to the Planning Inspectorate, the government body which rules in planning disputes and has the power to overturn the notice issued by the council. Ms Smith, who works for mental health services in the NHS, said she enjoys DIY in her spare time and undertook the project herself in order to "keep costs down". Due to work commitments, she said the time she has to work on the property is limited. A statement to the Planning Inspectorate said: "Furthermore, due to increases in the cost of living, mortgage payments, labour and materials, the renovation project has not yet been able to have been completed. "It has also involved much more work than was initially anticipated." The renovation works already completed include a new boundary fence, windows, chimneys, ceilings and radiators. But the majority of works are still yet to be completed. Ms Smith wants to replace the ceilings in the bathroom and dining room, fit ceilings to the bedroom and kitchen and repair the roof. She also wants to replace the front and rear porches, put in pathways and a driveway, fit a new kitchen and bathroom, and replace the downstairs floorboards. In 2022, she predicted the works would be completed by 2030. While some neighbours complained to the council, describing the property as an "extreme eyesore" and a "dreadful" view from their gardens, others are less phased. Emma Farrow, who lives near the house, said: "I don't have a clue what they're doing but it doesn't affect me. "It has been like that since I moved in and I've got used to it." Dave Gray-Taylor said: "It's their own place and they're doing it up at their own pace. "The scaffold house has become a bit of a landmark." Joan Bartlett, however, said immediate neighbours had become "fed up". "The scaffolding has been there for so long it's taken root," she added. The Planning Inspectorate will hold a hearing in due course to consider Ms Smith's argument and the case presented by the council. It will decide whether to uphold the enforcement notice or throw it out and allow Ms Smith to leave the property as it is. She has declined to comment. 3
Daily Mail
02-07-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Neighbours complain about eyesore 'Scaffolding House' as home improvement works on previously pretty cottage go on for FIVE YEARS!
An ambitious DIY enthusiast has been served with an enforcement notice after neighbours complained about scaffolding that has surrounded her property for the past five years – with works set to continue until the end of the decade. Margaret Smith began transforming her pretty cottage shortly after buying it in 2020, with plans for extensive renovations both outside and inside. But the scaffolding that went up there shortly after she moved in remains there today and has been joined by piles of building materials and detritus. Neighbours have complained about the 'extreme eyesore' in Shipdham, Norfolk, saying how it was previously a pretty cottage with a well-kept garden. One even claimed that electrical works carried out in the street by a third party caused power surges that made her heat pump blow up, at a cost of £8,000, as well as affecting other electrical items. Breckland Council issued an enforcement notice demanding Ms Smith, who bought the house for £185,000, remove the scaffolding at the property locals have dubbed 'Scaffold House' and return it to its original state. But the problem looks likely to drag on, as she has appealed against the decision to the Planning Inspectorate, which will hold a hearing at a date yet to be set. Ms Smith – who in 2022 said the works at her home, called Meadows View, might continue until 2030 - has not commented on the situation. But in a statement to the Planning Inspectorate, the mental health worker for the NHS said she had taken on the work herself to 'keep costs down' and work commitments had caused delays. She added: 'Furthermore, due to increases in the cost of living, mortgage payments, labour and materials, the renovation project has not yet able to have been completed. 'It has involved much more work than was initially anticipated.' The works she has completed are understood to include renovating the chimneys, windows, radiators and installing a new boundary fence. Still to come are roof repairs, replacing the front and rear porches, new ceilings in the bathroom, dining room, bedroom and kitchen, as well as fitting a new kitchen and bathroom, swapping out the downstairs floorboards and installing a new driveway and pathway. Frustrated neighbours include Donna Nevill, 38, who has lived in the road all her life. She told the Mail: 'It annoys my husband. He moans about it every time he drives past. 'The thing that bothers me was when they dug up the road last year, which affected our power. Now we regularly have power surges. 'It blew up our heat pump which cost us £8,000 to replace. We had to claim it off the house insurance. 'We still get power surges every day, with the lights going on and off and I've had three new microwaves in the past year. The washing machine is always going on and off.' Mrs Nevill, who said UK Power Networks had confirmed the roadworks were for Ms Smiths property, added: 'It's an eyesore and it isn't nice.' Another resident, Joan Bartlett, 63, said people had become 'fed up'. 'The scaffolding has been there for so long it's taken root,' she added. One homeowner, who asked not to be named, said: 'I think it used to belong to an old chap and it was very pretty, nice to look at. 'Now it's a permanent eyesore. Most people think enough is enough.' Others said they had effectively turned a blind eye to the never-ending DIY in their street, however. Dave Gray-Taylor said: 'It's their own place and they've been doing it up at their own pace. The scaffold house has become a bit of a landmark.' And Emma Farrow added: 'I don't have a clue what they're doing but it doesn't affect me. 'It has been like that since I moved in and I've got used to it.' Breckland Council first looked into the matter in 2021 after receiving a complaint but decided the following year not to take it further year after concluding that materials stored there for the purposes of renovation were in place on a 'temporary' basis. The case was resurrected in 2023 because of an increase in the amount of materials , with neighbours calling it an 'extreme eyesore' and 'dreadful'. The enforcement notice was came into effect in January this year and ordered Ms Smith, who is understood to be in her 30s, to remove debris and materials by November. It stated that the amount of items outside the house suggested 'the material change of use of the land from residential dwelling house to the mixed use of residential dwelling house and storage of materials and paraphernalia'. There were 'real concerns that external storage of non-domestic items at the property will continue unabated thus having an increasing detrimental effect to the character, appearance and amenity of the area', it added. The council was approached for a comment. The Planning Inspectorate will hold a hearing on a date to be confirmed, when it will consider the council's case and that of Ms Smith. It will decide whether to uphold the enforcement notice or overturn it, allowing Ms Smith to keep the property as it is. UK Power Networks was also asked for a statement about the claim involving the heat pump.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Council seeking enforced sale of derelict restaurant abandoned a decade ago
A derelict Indian restaurant which has been abandoned for 10 years could be sold under pressure from the local council. Breckland Council is pursuing an enforced sale of the former Akaash restaurant in Dereham town centre. During a hearing last year, Breckland Council secured a court order requiring the owners of the property to make urgent safety repairs and reimburse £6,000 in legal fees paid by the authority. However, the owners failed to comply within the specified timeframe, meaning the council had to carry out the repairs instead. The authority hopes to force the sale of the property to recover debts incurred through its work on the building. The derelict restaurant must now be repaired (Image: Denise Bradley) Ray O'Callaghan, a Dereham councillor, told a meeting last week: "I appreciate some emergency work has been carried out. "However, residents are rightfully upset that news concerning the building seems to have dried up." Sarah Suggitt, deputy leader, said: "It is a lengthy process but we are working towards an enforced sale of the Akaash. "It has taken longer than we would like but the team are doing the best they can in a tricky, sensitive situation. "The property is not in the best of health and I appreciate that it has caused a huge amount of frustration. But these things do take a long time." A spokesman for the council said the process had been complicated amid confusion over the current ownership of the building. READ MORE: US chain to open first Norfolk megastore... with 600 parking spaces The Akaash pictured in 2003 (Image: Newsquest) The former Akaash restaurant at 23 Market Place has sat empty since its closure in 2015 and been subject to several break-ins as it continues to deteriorate. Breckland Council issued an enforcement notice in 2022 requiring improvements to the property but this expired without repairs being delivered - resulting in the authority taking the owners to court last year. The required works included securing the lean-to roof, replacing damaged roof tiles, fixing rainwater guttering, and boarding up one of the windows.
BBC News
18-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Swaffham solar farm frustrated by 'zombie project' delays
Work on a large solar farm that should have started last summer has still not begun because of delays getting it connected to the grid, a developer has for the JAFA farm development near Swaffham in Norfolk were approved in February 2023 and it was hoped it would become operational this month, energy regulator Ofgem backed reforms to remove "zombie projects" from the connections queue and make it quicker for viable proposals to get hooked up to the power firm behind JAFA, Low Carbon, said it welcomed the reforms but the wait had been "frustrating". When the project was put before planners at Breckland District Council, it would have been one of the biggest solar farms in the 233 acres (94 hectares), it was said it could generate enough power for 16,500 homes a has been dwarfed by more recent proposals for "megafarms" in Norfolk, some as large as 5,000 acres (1,618 hectares). Nonetheless, there was some controversy around JAFA, with nearby Great Dunham Parish Council "totally opposed" to it because of the loss of good quality farmland and the visual impact on the Little Dunham Parish Council gave its support to the plan, voted through by councillors on the basis that Breckland needed more low-carbon on the site was due to start last summer, but has yet to begin as there is currently no way of connecting it to the grid."It is really frustrating," said project manager Ed Birkett."There's a real issue across the industry, where there are so many projects in the grid connections queue that are waiting to connect. It's leading to really long delays - up to 10 or 12 years in some cases." The system has been clogged with so-called "zombie projects" – proposals that show little sign of progressing but are in the queue for a has now approved reforms to the system that will give priority to viable Minns, of the Tyndall Centre at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, welcomed the reforms but warned there was "a massive, massive backlog of projects" that had been stalled across the country."We are so far behind on generating the green renewable energy that we need for energy security – we are decades behind where we should be," he Birkett said he hoped his company could now get JAFA built and connected in "the next one to two years". BBC Politics East will be broadcast on Sunday 18 May at 10:00 GMT on BBC One in the East of England, and will be available after broadcast on BBC Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Florist to create sculpture exhibition to showcase town's history
A florist from Attleborough has received a grant to showcase moments from the town's history through sculptures. Lydia Bustin, the owner of Armeria Floristry, got the £2,000 grant from Breckland Council to help fund her upcoming exhibition. Breckland Council offers the 'Love Your Market Town' grant to groups and local businesses to help boost footfall in towns across the district. What first started as a hobby has now become Lydia's business venture for the past three years (Image: Lydia Bustin) After pitching her idea last year, the 29-year-old received the money to help launch a 'large-scale sculpture exhibition' that will represent moments from Attleborough's history. With the town's history dating back to Saxon times, Armeria Floristry is collaborating with Attleborough Heritage Group to display 'floral sculptures that tell you about a period of time'. 'Once it got to the point where I really liked my work and the way I designed I decided to push the business,' Lydia said. The exhibition will be held in St Mary's Church in Attleborough (Image: Lydia Bustin) 'I think it is going to be really big for the town as it is something different for Attleborough. ''It's nice to be able to use my creativity and skill to do something like this.' The exhibition will be held in St Mary's Church in Attleborough from June 20 to June 22.
